Journey to a Deadly Past
by Michie
Summary: REPOST due to my computer skills being crap :)Tommy has amnesia and Kimberly is the only one who can get his memory back, but she'll have to face a few of her own to do it. CHAPTER 20! FINISHED!(Teaser for prt 2 included!)
1. Found in Space

Disclaimer: Guess what, my disclaimer is just like everyone else's. I don't own any of the Power Rangers and I never will. Waaaa.  
  
Aboard the Space Rangers vessel, all was normal. There hadn't been an attack in a while, so the rangers were taking care of some much needed repairs. The boys ran diagnostics on the bridge controls while the girls took care of the secondary systems in the engine room.  
  
"Ashley, could you pass me the..the..oh, um.the modu..the modulator thingy." Cassie stuttered as she pointed at various tools.  
  
"The time or warp modulator?" Ashley asked without looking up. She was fiddling with some wires from a busted panel, trying to reconnect them unsuccessfully.  
  
Cassie sighed. "I don't know, either." She was beginning to get frustrated. This always happened. I'll never get used to these damned space tools! She thought angrily.  
  
"Cassie, you have to know which one. Remember what happened last time you didn't know which one you wanted?" Ashley reminded Cassie regarding her with a knowing look.  
  
"Yes, I remember. I just never got used to this. How'd you pick it up so fast? You used to be just as bad as me!" Cassie complained.  
  
Ashley looked away shyly and smiled. "Andros showed me around one day while we were boosting the high frequency communication electrode device on Mega deck 3." Ashley sighed with a faraway look on her face, as she spoke of the man she was falling in love with.  
  
Cassie looked at her with raised eyebrows. "Okay." She mused slowly. She was about to tease her friend further when, they were interrupted by D.E.C.A.'s voice, "Ashley, Cassie, you are needed on the bridge. It's an emergency."  
  
Ashley and Cassie's conversation was quickly forgotten as they rushed to the bridge to see what was wrong. The door hissed shut as the girls ran onto the bridge. Andros and T.J. were at the main control panel looking as if they were trying decode something, while Carlos was over by one of the smaller screens scanning for a visual.  
  
"What's the big emergency?" Ashley asked out of breath as she and Cassie joined T.J. and Andros.  
  
"We have a distress call coming in. D.E.C.A., are we close enough for a visual yet?" Andros answered in a distracted yet firm tone.  
  
"Negative. We will be in visual range in 40 kilometers." D.E.C.A. replied. The rangers continued their work in silence until a loud beep signaled that they were in visual range.  
  
"D.E.C.A., on screen." Andros called. The image materialized showing a tiny one man vessel sitting lifeless in the glitter of stars that were the back round. The passenger was not visible through the tinted window, but obviously in need of help. All the lights that signaled life support or any life at all, were off, accept one. Suddenly, an audio distress message automatically played. A worn out, dying voice relayed the following:  
  
"This.is Red Rover. Calling to anyone out there.I was.attacked and left for dead by.a team of alien vessels.Air, running out.Only about.20 minutes left.come.as soon as possible.please."  
  
When the message ended, it went into auto repeat. The rangers looked at each other with grim expressions.  
  
"Censors can't identify the voice, the message was too static, but it's definitely male." Cassie said from a side console.  
  
"D.E.C.A., end message." Andros commanded, sighing. "How long ago was it get sent out?"  
  
"According to my data, approximately 19 minutes ago." D.E.C.A. responded.  
  
T.J. looked up anxiously, "Then we can still get to him!"  
  
"We're going in." said Andros as he moved to pilot the ship. He then gave orders to his crew to help the dying passenger inside the ship. "Cassie and T.J. go to the transport room, prepare medical supplies we'll transport him to the infirmary as soon as he's aboard. Carlos, lock onto his energy reading and teleport on my signal. Ashley, reroute all the energy you can to the computers in the infirmary, he'll need it for life support."  
  
The rangers hustled to their tasks to help the stranger on board the small lifeless vessel, which lay before them. The fact that the man on board could be an enemy was far from their minds. Their primary concern was helping him live, and then they would either be faced with the choice of killing an enemy or helping a friend in need, a possible ally. The three remaining rangers on the bridge were so deeply involved in their work that Carlos' voice startled them, and broke them out of their trance.  
  
"Signal locked!" he called, in what seemed like only seconds before the strangers' air ran out on their clock, and their minute was up.  
  
"Get him up here!" Andros called, holding the ship steady.  
  
"All non essential systems are drained as far as we can go without causing damage. It's all been rerouted to the infirmary." Ashley reported sitting in the captain's chair beside Andros. He nodded and sat back in his seat, waiting to hear from Cassie and T.J. on how their newest passenger was doing.  
  
A few minutes later, Cassie came running through the bridge doors. The rangers stood in anticipation of their out of breath friend's news.  
  
"You guys aren't going to believe this." She sighed exasperatedly.  
  
"What's wrong," Ashley said picking up on the distress in her friends voice, "is he.?" she asked hesitantly.  
  
"No, no. T.J. is getting him situated now. He's on oxygen and has some head wounds that we're kinda concerned about, so we'll be keeping an eye on them. Um, a few cuts and bruises from some debris in the ship, probably from an onboard explosion, three damaged ribs, and what looks to be the beginning of a concussion. He'll be out for a while, he's on a sedative, but other than that, he is very much alive, and one of the luckiest people I know." Cassie reported, although she seemed to be talking to herself most of the time.  
  
"So what aren't we going to believe?" asked Carlos.  
  
Cassie looked around at all of her friends and sighed. She scrunched up her face and decided to get this over with.  
  
"It's Tommy."  
  
*** 


	2. Enlisted

Disclaimer: See chapter one for the full, but I still don't own them. ( Author's note: I guess this takes place after Zordon's death.  
  
Ashley stood over the unconscious body of Tommy Oliver, former red turbo ranger. She'd only known him for a very brief time, but he'd made an impact on her nonetheless, and she hated seeing him like this. She knew that once they found out who did this to him, they'd have the space rangers to deal with. She sighed and squeezed his hand as she shifted her weight from standing by his med bed for so long. The hiss of the infirmary door behind her broke her revere, and she felt a familiar presence beside her.  
  
"How is he?" Andros asked as he looked at the patient.  
  
Ashley replaced his hand by his side and turned to Andros. "He groans from time to time, but I can't make out what he's saying."  
  
Andros looked at the worn out face of his potential girlfriend. He could see how this was taking its toll on her. "Go get some rest." He smiled. Ashley was about to protest, but Andros cut her off. "I'll stay with him, and if there's even the slightest change, you'll be the first one I call." He said putting his hand on her shoulder.  
  
Ashley sighed, giving in. "Thanks." She smiled. She then leaned in and gave him a hug, and out of personal nature, kissed him on the cheek. Realizing what she was doing, she abruptly let go, suddenly embarrassed. "Uh.goodnight." She stammered, as she turned to leave.  
  
"Goodnight." Andros said shyly as she exited. He brushed the place she had kissed him with his fingers and smiled absently. An inaudible groan from behind him pulled him back. He turned to Tommy's unconscious form and moved closer to hear what he was saying. His increased hearing kicked in as he focused on Tommy's words.  
  
"Take me.take me back.back.take me.me back."  
  
Andros straightened up, a puzzled look crossing his features. "Take me back?" he echoed.  
  
*** As T.J. entered the infirmary, his eyes told him it was empty. He frowned and looked around, deciding they were missing something. Sure enough, he found his leader slumped in a chair in the corner of the room, fast asleep. He smiled and moved to wake him, checking Tommy's vitals as he passed.  
  
"Hey man, time to wake up." He said gently shaking his friend's shoulder. To his surprise Andros awoke abruptly, causing T.J. to jump slightly. Andros looked up at him and sighed, realizing that he'd been asleep for a very long time.  
  
"Hey T.J." he said rubbing his eyes.  
  
"Any change?" T.J. asked, indicating to Tommy.  
  
Andros sighed again, shaking his head and stood up. "I do know what he was mumbling though." He said trying to improve the low spirits he felt emanating from his teammate.  
  
T.J. waited for Andros to continue, and after a few seconds he sighed. "What?" he said anxiously.  
  
Andros frowned and looked down thoughtfully. "He said, 'take me back.' Any idea what it means?"  
  
T.J. furrowed his brow thoughtfully. "No," he said after a moment, "but maybe the others will."  
  
"Do you think it's safe to leave him alone?" Andros asked looking to Tommy.  
  
"We'll have his vitals fed into the bridge computer so we can monitor him." T.J. said as he approached the console at the foot of Tommy's bed. He began pushing buttons, and after a few seconds said, "There. If anything changes, we'll be notified."  
  
Satisfied, Andros nodded and the two exited and headed for the bridge. He had D.E.C.A. summon the others to meet them there. When they reached it, Andros went to the main controls and pulled up a visual of Tommy, just as the others arrived.  
  
"I can see there's no change, so what did you want us for. We're still conducting repairs." Cassie said approaching the two guys.  
  
"We wanted your opinion on something." T.J. said.  
  
"Yeah, we found out what Tommy was muttering." Andros concluded. "He kept saying 'take me back.' Do any of you have any idea what that means?"  
  
"I remember Kat saying they'd had a brief relationship before she and the others turned gave us their powers. Maybe he was referring to that, maybe he wants to get back together with her." Cassie shrugged.  
  
Andros sighed thoughtfully. "We should contact Alpha, get him up here to help." He said finally.  
  
Ashley frowned. "Why? We can just ask Tommy what it means when he wakes up." She pointed out.  
  
"No." Andros said. "I was looking over his med record last night before I fell asleep, and judging from what I saw, he's going to have severe amnesia when he wakes up. I saw the same results on KO-35 when my cousin was sick. He was never the same when he woke up, never got his memory back." "But still, what does contacting Alpha have to do with this? How can he help Tommy?" Carlos asked.  
  
"Well, my cousin wasn't a ranger. Zordon must have had some sort of fail safe incase anything like this ever happened, so Alpha must know what to do as well." Andros paused as the others considered it. They all then nodded in agreement and Andros contacted Alpha. He explained the situation, and the robot said he'd be right there. The rambunctious being appeared almost instantaneously on the bridge, receiving greetings from all the rangers. He then asked if they'd contacted Katherine yet.  
  
"Is there a fail safe for Tommy's condition?" T.J. asked anxiously.  
  
"I prefer to explain the procedure only once, as it is a long explanation. So I will explain once Katherine gets here. While you locate her I will look over Tommy's med record." He said and went over to the med panel where Tommy's vitals were displayed.  
  
"D.E.C.A., locate Katherine.Katherine. Guys, last name?" Andros frowned.  
  
"Hillard." Alpha said. "Katherine Hillard."  
  
"Right. D.E.C.A., locate Katherine Hillard and teleport her here as soon as she's alone. Hey Alpha," Andros said turning to the robot. "I forgot to say thanks for the teleport upgrade."  
  
"The other rangers had the luxury, I'm sorry you had to wait for so long for it." He said turning back to Tommy's report.  
  
"D.E.C.A., what's taking so long?" Carlos asked.  
  
"There are billions of people on the planet known as Earth, and I am only one computer. It will take me a few more minutes to locate her." D.E.C.A. responded.  
  
The team awaited the results in an anxious silence while the computer worked. They looked around at one another, and even attempted to make light conversation, but somehow it didn't seem appropriate.  
  
"Subject identified. Teleporting now." D.E.C.A. reported, causing everyone to let out a sigh of relief.  
  
Suddenly, in a flash of pale pink light, Katherine Hillard appeared mid- walk, on the bridge. She looked around, momentarily disoriented, and then saw the rangers.  
  
"H-hey guys. What am doing here?" she asked, puzzled looking around again. "Where is here?" 


	3. The Cave of Amneous

Disclaimer: Still the same. I am a non-owner.  
  
Author's note: It is Alpha 5. I don't remember what happened to him in the show, but in my world, he's up and running.  
  
***  
  
"Welcome to the Delta Megaship." Andros smiled, moving forward to greet the former ranger. "I'm Andros."  
  
Kat smiled and shook his outstretched hand. "Katherine Hillard. Now, not that I'm not happy to see you guys, but what am I doing here?" She asked looking around at the team.  
  
"I believe I can answer that." Alpha said, moving through the tall humans.  
  
Kat gasped and rushed towards the little robot. "Alpha! I haven't seen you in ages! How are you!" she smiled hugging him.  
  
"I am alright Katherine." He said returning the embrace.  
  
"How are you doing without Zordon? I was so upset when I heard." Kat sighed. Little did she know, Andros was wincing behind her from the reminder of what he'd done. Alpha saw this, and decided to quickly change the subject.  
  
"We will have to catch up later Katherine. Unfortunately, our reunion is not happening under the best of circumstances. I'm afraid there is more bad news." He sighed.  
  
"Well," Andros began causing Kat to turn to him, "the reason you're here is because.we found Tommy floating in space. His ship had been attacked and he was low on air. He was unconscious when we found him, and he's in the infirmary now. We're still trying to find out who did it." He paused, giving Kat a second to digest the news, and continued when she said nothing. "From his med scans, we found that he's going to have massive amnesia. We contacted Alpha to see if there was a back up plan in case this ever happened."  
  
Kat sighed after a moment, coming out of her stunned silence. "So.why am I here? To trigger his memory when he wakes up?"  
  
"Not necessarily trigger his memory. More like retrieve it." Alpha said, receiving puzzled frowns from the group. "There is a way to get Tommy's memory back," he continued, "When the rangers were chosen, Zordon developed a stone for each individual to store their memory in. Once they agreed to take the power, he duplicated their memory and stored it in the appropriate stone. Then he hid them in an ancient cave that no one knew about, and upgraded the security system, just in case. If a ranger ever lost his or her memory, to such severity as Tommy has, the ranger closest to them must go to the cave and embark on a memory quest in order to retrieve the stone. That is why you are here Katherine. It is you who must go on the quest."  
  
"What happens if I fail?" Kat asked.  
  
"Tommy will." Alpha couldn't finish his sentence, but the others caught his meaning. There was a short pause before Kat finally spoke up.  
  
"When do I leave?" she said determinedly.  
  
"Wait a second," Cassie cut in stepping forward, "before you go risking your life, don't you think you should see what you have to do?"  
  
"Cassie's right. We don't need any more people in the infirmary." Ashley said.  
  
"I'd give my life for him in a second if it meant I could save his. I'm going." Kat said firmly.  
  
"Rangers please," Alpha said stepping forward. "Katherine, it is admirable that you would risk your life for him, but I would not let you go without explaining it fully. Also, why would you be here if we were going to deny you the choice to go."  
  
"Alright, so what do I have to do?" Kat asked, crossing her arms.  
  
"The cave is called Amneous. Once you are inside you will be told whether or not you are the one to go on the quest. Then, if you are, you will be allowed to go to the first obstacle. There are three of them, and they all require you to confront a memory, each one is more severe than the last. If you succeed, you will have to face one more test before you cane get to the stone: you will have to face your greatest fear. If you pass that, and retrieve the stone, you will be shown to an area where you can be teleported. If you get to the stone, do not touch it. Only the one whose memories it contains must touch it. Any questions?" he finished.  
  
"How do you complete a memory obstacle?" Carlos asked.  
  
"Once you are through the gates, you'll find stone room with a pond like pool in the middle. To complete the test you must hold your breath under the water as the memory plays, but if you come up for air, you will fail."  
  
"How do you hold your breath that long?" T.J. asked.  
  
"Your heart rate will be lowered to ensure your safety. The cave is mystical." He said, which answered the next question. The rangers remained silent for a moment, allowing Kat to consider her decision.  
  
"I'll do it." 


	4. Unexpected Reunion

Disclaimer: Me no own.  
  
"So, all I gotta do is go through three of my worst memories under water, defeat my greatest fear and leave? Sounds simple." Kat sighed sarcastically and as she looked in the mirror. She nodded in satisfaction at her reflection and then exited, and headed to the bridge.  
  
"Katherine, you must concentrate on your quest, for Tommy's sake." D.E.C.A. said as she walked through the halls.  
  
"Thanks D.E.C.A., it was nice meeting you." Kat smiled as she reached her destination. As soon as she entered the bridge, the rangers began briefing her on last minute updates.  
  
"We'll be in visual and audio contact if you need us. Alpha upgraded your old communicator which we teleported from your house, and Alpha has tapped into the main security system in Amneous so we can monitor your quest visually." T.J. said, handing her the mock watch.  
  
She took it, frowning. "You mean, you'll be going through my memories with me?" she said hesitantly.  
  
"Don't worry Kat," Cassie smiled, placing her hand on the Australian's shoulder, "we're here to support you, not judge you."  
  
Kat sighed, smiling at Cassie. "Thanks. Well, I guess I'm ready to go.Actually; can you get a visual on Tommy from here? I never got the chance to go see him."  
  
"Of course." Andros smiled, moving to grant her request. He'd removed the image he had before she came, deciding it best to deliver the news first. Seeing Tommy like that as soon as she got there would have created some problems. After a moment, Tommy's sleeping form appeared on the main screen again. Kat gazed at him, smiling ruefully, and found she had to turn away. It's been too long. She sighed inwardly. She composed herself and turned back, but his image was gone. She smiled at Andros, silently thanking him for his understanding.  
  
"Okay, I'm ready." She said, standing up straight, as if attempting to improve her confidence. Alpha nodded and turned to implement the teleportation. Kat looked around, receiving 'good luck,' and 'you can do it,' from her new friends. They all disappeared from sight, as she was teleported from the Megaship.  
  
*** She landed at the entrance to the cave, and looked around before making her way in. The cave lay in the heart of a forest, but the trees behind her offered no idea as to what lay beyond them. Sighing, she turned and walked into the dark rock opening. The large entrance slowly closed into a narrow stone hallway as she continued. Blackness enclosed the small area, causing Kat to have to feel her way along. She heard water dripping around her, and felt the odd drop on her arms from time to time, while the walls were sharp and bumpy beneath her fingers.  
  
"They sure do know how to make you feel at home down here," she mumbled, stopping to grab a flashlight from her bag.  
  
As she kept going, faster now from the source of light, she quickly found her way to an opening. She looked up, and up.and up, met with a huge ancient gateway, sealed tight. A crest was carved near the lower half of the doors. She squinted, shining her flashlight on it and found that it was the seal of the power rangers. Smiling at the familiarity of the animal spirits, she moved closer to find the way in. Instead of a lock, she found an electronic keypad, big enough to fit a human hand atop it.  
  
"Katherine, that is the access panel. Place your palm on it and the doors will open. It already knows who's stone you're looking for." Alpha said over her communicator.  
  
"How?" she frowned.  
  
"It is connected to the rangers memory it holds. No time for the specifics. In short, it knows." He finished.  
  
Kat sighed and nodded as she moved to the panel. Without hesitation, she placed her hand on the device, and it automatically came to life, a red light covering the square beneath her palm. She frowned deeper as a computer programmed response echoed through the chamber.  
  
"Access denied. Not required subject."  
  
"What!?" she cried pulling her hand away. She sighed angrily and stubbornly tried again. Again, the voice echoed.  
  
"Access denied. Not required subject."  
  
"Kat, what's going on?" Andros asked.  
  
"It says I'm not the one who's supposed to go on the quest. What should I do?" she sighed. There was a moment of silence on the other end. "Guys?" she asked again.  
  
"Return to the teleportation sight, we'll bring you back." Alpha answered.  
  
"Do you have any idea who could be the one?" Cassie asked.  
  
"No I.wait. It couldn't be." She breathed.  
  
"Couldn't be what Kat, who is it?"  
  
"Kimberly Hart. Can you locate her? Last I heard she was in Florida." She asked, already moving back to the cave entrance.  
  
"We'll get you back here while D.E.C.A. locates her." Andros said.  
  
"Right." Kat said, breaking into a run.  
  
*** "Kim knew Tommy long before I did. They dated for a long time, even fell in love, but Kim got the chance to train for the Pan Globals in gymnastics with Gunther Schmidt in Florida. From what I heard, she was reluctant to leave, but Tommy assured her that everything would be fine. I was under an evil spell at the time, so I don't remember too much. But once the spell was broken, I was chosen to receive Kimberly's powers. One day, Tommy got this letter from Kim saying that she'd met someone else and that she was breaking up with him. He was devastated." Kat explained. She paused, remembering the look on Tommy's face that day. Shaking it off, she looked up finding stunned looks on the space rangers faces. "Guys, I know what you're thinking. Don't hate her she's really nice. I admit this wasn't in her character, but there has to be a reasonable explanation."  
  
She was about to explain further, but D.E.C.A. intervened. "Subject located. She is alone. Shall I teleport her here Andros?"  
  
"Yes, please D.E.C.A." Andros replied. In a flash of white light, the young gymnast appeared in the middle of the bridge. She had her back to them, and gasped when she materialized, turning to find out where she was. When she noticed Kat and Alpha, she smiled nervously, too stunned to move.  
  
"Hey Kim," Kat smiled, moving forward. "This is the Delta Megaship. And this," she said indicating to the rangers, "is T.J., Carlos, Cassie, Ashley, and Andros. They're the current Power Rangers."  
  
"Um.hi. Kimberly Hart. What exactly am I doing here? I was doing my homework and I got up to get a cookie, then I end up on the bridge of the.Delta Megaship. You guys are lucky I don't have a roommate." She said, moving towards them.  
  
"Well, we found Tommy floating in space." Cassie said.  
  
"WHAT?!" Kim cried, her nervous smile replaced by pure worry. "You- you found Tommy? Is-is he okay? Where is he?" she stammered.  
  
Kat instantly knew she still felt something for him. "Well," she began, "He's in somewhat critical condition and he's going to have amnesia when he wakes up."  
  
"He's awake." A voice mumbled from behind them. Everyone whirled to see a confused Tommy standing in the bridge doorway, rubbing his head. 


	5. The Blame Game

Disclaimer: This is a denial of ownership of the Power Rangers.  
  
Author's note: I hope you all like it so far. It's my first time writing on the net. I've had this story done and in my room for about two or three years not knowing where to put it. I am so glad to have a site like fanfiction.net to support the fans. Thank you!!!  
  
***  
  
"Tommy!" Kimberly cried running to her former boyfriend. She instinctively threw her arms around him, not stopping to consider that he had amnesia. He stumbled slightly from the embrace, looking down at the girl attached to him.  
  
"Do I know you?" he asked innocently. Kimberly immediately let go and stood back, stunned by the comment. Kat winced, hoping Kim was okay. "Do you know me? My name? Could you tell me?" he went on. Kimberly just kept backing away, her eyes wide as if frightened.  
  
Kat stepped forward after a moment. "Your name is Tommy Oliver. Do you remember what happened to you, or anything before?" she asked, slowly edging toward him. He shook his head, looking like a lost little boy. He didn't know whether to trust her or not, but something inside said that it was okay. "You have amnesia," she continued, "but don't worry. We know a way to help you. There's a special stone that has your whole memory in it, and Kim here is going to get it back for you."  
  
"Huh?" the two new comers said in unison. Kat turned to Kimberly to explain, but the brunette was already asking questions.  
  
"First of all, what stone? Second, I'm going to get it? How?" she asked exasperatedly.  
  
Kat sighed. "Tommy's memories were stored in a stone when he first became a ranger. All of ours were, in separate stones. Once the stone is recovered, Alpha told me Tommy can never loose his memory again. We need you to go to the cave of Amneous, and go on a quest for the stone. You'll have to face three of your worst memories, plus your greatest fear in order to succeed." While Kim digested that, Kat turned to Tommy.  
  
"I think I need to sit down." He said wavering slightly. T.J. moved to help him to a chair.  
  
"So, three of my worst memories?" Kim said, pulling Kat's attention back to her. "Are you guys going to be seeing any of this if I agree to do it?" Kat was surprised she'd thought of that, it was a surprise when Andros told her that when she attempted the quest. She smiled and moved closer to the still stunned girl.  
  
"We'll be there for you every step of the way." She said warmly.  
  
"What happens if I refuse?" Kim asked boldly, ignoring Kat's kindness. She did not want to relive her past.  
  
Kat looked down and moved in closer. "Tommy will die." She whispered. She heard Kim gasp as she drew back in fear. She stood for a moment, considering the situation. She looked over at Tommy, who was leaning on a console rubbing his head, and sighed walking over to her former flame. She knelt down in front of him and touched his hand.  
  
"I'm going to get your memories back. And once you're back to your old self, I'll have a lot of explaining to do." she paused, seeing his perplexed look, and smiled. "You'll know what I mean later." She then stood and kissed him on the cheek and he also rose.  
  
"Thank you. I-I don't remember you right now, but I like what I do know. I.I look forward to remembering you.and everyone else." He smiled hesitantly, as he hugged her.  
  
Kim quickly pulled away, with tears threatening to fall. "I. I'd better go get ready. Um. T.J., can you show me a room I can freshen up in?" she asked, moving to the exit. As Kim left, Kat and the others began making plans for her quest.  
  
*** "So, uh.what happened between you and Tommy, if you don't mind me asking. I heard you guys were pretty serious." T.J. asked hesitantly as Kim settled in. She glanced at him, and then gazed at the floor. "Sorry," T.J. said quickly, "it's none of my business."  
  
"No, no," Kim sighed moving closer to him. "It's okay. I don't mind. I mean, you guys are just minding your own business, and then boom, you got three former rangers on your hands, one of whom has severe amnesia, and the other two who are frantic about him, and.Well, you deserve to know. We were serious. He was like." she sighed, shaking her head and laughing softly. "Tommy was pretty much the perfect boyfriend. He changed my life, made me see things I'd never seen before. One day in the park, we were walking by the lake, and he pulls me down and tells me to be quiet. I thought it was a joke, but he points to this fox. He said they never come out in our area, especially not in broad daylight. I wouldn't have even looked twice at it, and I asked him how he knew. He said he and his dad used to go on hikes when he was a kid, and his dad told him about all of that kind of stuff. I- I. I noticed every fox I saw from then on and thought of that moment every time. Stupid, huh?" she smiled.  
  
T.J. shook his head. "Not at all." He smiled. "So what happened?" he asked hesitantly.  
  
Kim's smile faded. "Well, I got a chance to train in Florida with a big gymnastics coach. I was so excited, but I didn't want to leave Tommy. He told me to go, saying I couldn't pass up the opportunity. So.I went. But, after I got there, everything went wrong." she trailed off sadly.  
  
"Was it an injury?" T.J. asked, hating the feeling that he was pressuring her, but she went on.  
  
She smiled sadly. "Something like that." She sighed. "Anyways, you'll see when I go on my quest. All will be revealed, as the psychics say." She said, fidgeting with her hands.  
  
T.J. nodded. "I'll uh, I'll wait outside while you get ready. There are some standard ships uniforms in the closet. You can use whatever you want of them, tank tops, pants. Help yourself." He smiled, and she nodded in appreciation as he exited.  
  
When he was gone, she moved to the mirror and looked at her reflection. "An injury.sure." She sighed. Shaking her head, she moved to the closet to get ready.  
  
Outside, T.J. was pacing patiently, when his communicator went off. "Teej, get up here quick! Tommy's had a relapse!" Cassie cried frantically. T.J. bolted into Kim's room, hoping she wasn't changing. Luckily, she was brushing her hair.  
  
"Kim, something's wrong with Tommy." He cried. She dropped the brush and both of them sprinted out of the room towards the bridge. As they entered, they found Tommy; unconscious again, slumped on the floor. Andros and Carlos were trying to get him up to no avail.  
  
"Where are Cassie and Ashley?" T.J. asked rushing to help.  
  
"Getting the infirmary ready." Andros grunted. With T.J.'s help, they finally got him to his feet and carried him to the infirmary, T.J. held his feet, while Andros and Carlos held his arms. Kim followed closely behind as the trio went as fast as they could. The infirmary door hissed open and the guys grunted from the weight of Tommy's unconscious form as they struggled to get him on the med bed. Ashley and Cassie rushed to help and Kim stood back, seeing that she'd be in the way if she tried to help. Besides, she felt too.frozen to help. She watched, breathing heavily, as the rangers hooked her former love up to the med unit.  
  
"What happened? Where's Kat and Alpha?" she asked, afraid to step forward for fear she'd touch something the wrong way and hurt him.  
  
"Tommy's mind decided to shut down. He's gone back into his subconscious." Andros explained, turning to the worried girl.  
  
"Did something trigger it?" Ashley asked, looking down at the sleeping ranger.  
  
"Maybe. We were explaining the quest Kim's gonna go on, but as soon as we mentioned you and him as a couple.he just collapsed." Andros sighed.  
  
Kim's breath left her body. She paled and tried to find the wall for support, because she felt her legs buckling beneath her. "It's all my fault." She breathed. T.J. and Andros turned to her, frowning deeply at her reaction. "What do you mean?" T.J. asked, cautiously approaching the frantic girl, but she continued to back away, ashamed of herself.  
  
"Don't you see!" she cried. "He's like this because of me! Because of that stupid letter I sent him. He would never have been up in space doing god knows what if it weren't for me! I never even got the chance to explain, and he may never know, and it's all my FAULT!!" tears were streaming down her face now. She dashed from the infirmary before anyone could stop her.  
  
"Kim WAIT!" T.J. yelled after her, but she ran too fast, disappearing around a corner. 


	6. Somebody to Lean On

Disclaimer: can you guess, or should I give you a hint? That's right!!! I don't have any claim on the Power Rangers. Good guess!  
  
Author's note: If you don't like Kat and Zhane as a couple, I'm sorry. It just came to me, and fit. There's a lot of revising going on as I write, plus there's a sequel to this, so you never know what can happen!  
  
Kim ignored T.J.'s call as she ran through the ship's winding halls trying to find her room. Tears blurred her vision as her feet carried her around another corner, causing her to miss the two people emerging from the door ahead of her. She collided with one of them, dragging both herself and her victim to the hard ground with a thud. She looked up, seeing Kat's worried expression as she moved to help them up.  
  
"Kim, oh my go what happened?! Zhane, are you okay?" she asked, helping the stunned man to his feet. Andros and T.J. rounded the corner as he got his bearings back.  
  
"Kim, what- Zhane! W-what happened, and what are you doing here?" Andros asked, surprised to see his best friend standing before him.  
  
Kimberly simply ignored both rounds of questions and pushed herself against a wall. She pushed back the pain in her arm and stomach and leaned back against the cool surface, staring at the other side of the hallway passively.  
  
Zhane smiled and rubbed his arm. "I told everyone I needed to see my friends again. Then when I teleport in I meet this mysterious yet lovely young woman, and get told that the ex-red ranger has been found in space with amnesia." He grinned, glancing at Kat.  
  
"Yeah, his name is Tommy Oliver. This lovely young woman is Kat, and the woman you ran into, literally, is Kimberly Hart." Andros sighed, gesturing to the human ball on the ground.  
  
Zhane smiled and glanced down at Kimberly, frowning when he saw her oblivious expression. "Hey," he said kneeling down, "what's wrong? Did I hurt you?"  
  
Kim blinked and turned her head slowly towards him. He saw the pain in her eyes and noticed her tear streaked face. "No," she said softly, "you didn't hurt me. It was my fault. I'm Kim." She said, hesitantly extending her hand. Zhane smiled and took it, helping her up in the process.  
  
"My name is Zhane, and I do hate to see a pretty lady like yourself so upset."  
  
"Yeah, well, thing's happen." Kim sighed sadly. "If you'll excuse me, I have to get ready for a memory quest." With that, she continued on her way, walking now, leaving three sympathetic people, and one very puzzled young man in her wake.  
  
"Did I say something wrong? And what's a memory quest?" Zhane frowned, turning to Andros.  
  
"Come on," Andros smiled, "I'll explain everything. Kat, can you see if she's okay? You know her better than we do."  
  
Kat nodded turning to leave. "She said it was her fault." T.J. said, causing her to turn back momentarily. "She said it was because of a letter she never got to explain."  
  
Kat frowned. "Something is very wrong here. I can feel it." She said, resuming her journey.  
  
"Now can someone please tell me what is going on here?" Zhane pleaded.  
  
*** "Kim? Can I come in?" Kat called from outside Kim's door. D.E.C.A. had directed her on where to go, and she knew she could just walk in, but she wanted Kim to let her in. However, when there was no answer, she sighed and pushed the automatic entry button. The doors hissed open, and the Australian was met with darkness. She entered seeing a bump on the bed in the corner.  
  
"I know what you're here about." It said, sniffling in the process.  
  
"Do you wanna talk about it?" Kat asked, taking a near by seat.  
  
"What's the point," Kim said, curling tighter into her protective ball. "You're going to find everything out on my quest, right? It is going to be visual."  
  
"Kim, it might help if you talk about it. My guess is, you've been carrying something very serious around for quite a while. It might help to tell someone.to tell me." Kat ventured. Just then the door opened, and Carlos hesitantly stepped in.  
  
"Kim, are you ready? If we don't get going soon." he trailed off, knowing she knew the consequences.  
  
"Yeah," Kim said getting up. "I'm coming." As she passed Kat, the tall blonde touched her arm.  
  
"It's not your fault. Whatever it is, it's not your fault." She said.  
  
Kim shrugged her hand off and glared at her. "I'm going to get him back. And when I do, both you and he will know that it is my fault, and it always will be." She said, her voice trembling from the pain she felt. She swallowed, pushing down the wave of tears that threatened to break through and went with an embarrassed Carlos. Kat sighed as she was left alone in Kimberly's dark room.  
  
*** Kim followed Carlos to the bridge, where the rest of the rangers had congregated, and went over to Zhane.  
  
"I'm sorry for running into you like that. It was completely careless of me." She smiled lightly.  
  
"Don't worry about it. It's already forgotten." Zhane grinned sticking out his hand. Kim's smile broadened as she shook it. She sighed and turned to the rest of the team.  
  
"Let's do it." 


	7. Swimming

Disclaimer: Do I really have to keep doing this? We all know I will never own them, and I'm running out of funny ways to say it!  
  
Author's note: I forgot to mention, that Turbo never happened.  
  
"Kim, do you read?" a voice said over her communicator. It wasn't really hers; she borrowed it from Kat, figuring it was pointless to modify another communicator.  
  
"Yeah Andros, I read. Can you see me?" she responded.  
  
"Check, you ready?" he asked.  
  
"As I'll ever be." Kim sighed. "Let's get this over with."  
  
She stood out side the same cave Kat had, glancing back at the luscious forest behind her. She exhaled, and made her way inside, pulling out her flashlight early under Kat's advisement. The darkness closed in around her, and Kim paused listening to the dripping water. She turned off the flashlight, instantly feeling more at home in the blackness she stood in, and continued forward. Dim light lit the pocket the narrow hallway opened up into, and Kim noticed the square of neon light in the corner. She walked over to it and looked up at the stone door, smiling faintly at the crest displayed on it. She turned her attention back to the modern device.  
  
"Billy would love this thing." She grinned.  
  
"State your name." A voice announced. Kim jumped, not recognizing the voice. She frowned curiously, but did as she was told.  
  
"Kimberly Ann Hart."  
  
"Place your hand on the key pad." The voice continued. Kim looked around the dark cove, but did as she was told. The keypad went green beneath her hand, and the voice continued.  
  
"Access granted. Please enter phase one."  
  
The giant stone doors slowly slid open, splitting the crest in two, and revealing a shimmering pond surrounded by a wide dirt ledge. Kim moved to enter, instinctively glancing back over her shoulder as she did so.  
  
"Please place your personal belongings down and enter the pool. Do not come up for air during the duration of the memory or you the quest will be over. Are you ready Kimberly Ann Hart?" The voice asked tonelessly.  
  
"I guess so." Kim said softly, placing her pack and communicator on the ledge. She removed her shoes and her sweater and sat at the water's edge, testing the water with her feet. "Oh!" she cried, "It's cold!"  
  
"Are you ready Kimberly Ann Hart?" the voice asked again.  
  
Kim huffed and slid into the pool, wading out into the middle. She took a couple of deep breaths as she tread water. "We're here Kim, all the way." She heard Kat say from her communicator.  
  
Kim said a silent prayer and took a deep breath, submerging herself beneath the glistening surface. She opened he eyes, suddenly feeling the absence of the surrounding water, and opened her mouth to speak, but snapped it shut when bubbles of air came out.  
  
Weird. She thought, looking around the familiar area she now stood in. I know this place! This is Angel Grove Park! She smiled. She glanced towards the lake she stood before, and did a double take when she spotted two very familiar people. That's me and Aisha! She was so distracted with seeing herself and her best friend, that she didn't notice the figure approaching from behind her. When she finally did notice the girl, she got a fright. The girl was staring at her.but wasn't doing anything about her presence. Kim soon realized that, eerie as it was, the girl before her, whom she now recognized as a younger Kat, was staring at the Kimberly out on the lake. Invisible Kim just happened to be standing in her line of sight. Once she got over the fact that she couldn't be seen, she noticed the look displayed on Kat's face as she stared at the brunette's younger self. Pure hate. Dwelling a moment in just staring, Kat looked just scary. She glared at Kimberly as she and Aisha tried to pilot the huge water bicycle they'd rented. Tommy and the other guys swam around the two, and invisible Kimberly noticed how Kat's glare seemed directly aimed at the way Tommy flirted with the brunette. Before Kim had a chance to blink, Kat had switched her focus to a backpack that lay on the pick nick table she stood beside. Kat was digging through it, searching for something. This is when Kat stole my power coin. Kim realized. Her stomach muscles tightened, hoping beyond hope that what followed would be a twisted, happier version of what she remembered.  
  
Kat pulled out a picture from the bottom of the blue bag, and Kim moved to see what it was. It showed her and Tommy holding hands. She remembered the day it was taken. It was her and Tommy's one-month anniversary and he'd taken her out for dinner, and a walk in the park. While they walked, Tommy asked a stranger to take their picture. Kim was so lost in her memory; she only just caught Kat pocketing the image. So that's where that went. She frowned mentally. Kat turned back to the bag and dug around in it some more before finding what she wanted. She pulled out Kim's power coin, and smiled as she turned it in her hand. She stuck it in her pocket with the photo, and looked around for intruders. She then noticed another bag on the table: Aisha's. She was about to repeat the process with the yellow rangers things, when Bulk and Skull walked up, dressed in police uniforms. I wonder if they're still in the force. Kim thought as the two led Kat away from the table. Kim frowned and turned back to the lack. She knew all too well what came next. No! She breathed mentally.  
  
A swarm of Tenga's appeared on the small beach, just like they had on that fateful day, and the citizen's of Angel Grove fled. All but six. She watched the fight progress, never taking her eyes off herself as she noticed the weakness beginning.  
  
"Tommy!" she heard herself call, as four Tenga's surrounded her. The white ninja ranger came dashing to her rescue and fought off the foes. As soon as they were defeated, Kim saw her legs give way and she fell to the ground, her suit fading as she did Tommy called to her in worry. He got separated from her, and he and the others took care of the remaining Tenga's, keeping their attention away from Kimberly. When the threat was over, Tommy powered down and rushed to her again.  
  
"Are you alright? What happened?" he asked, his voice thick with worry.  
  
"I-I'm a little dizzy. I think I need to sit down." Her former self sighed.  
  
Not again!  
  
Tommy led her over to the table and Kim went to her bag in search of water, and her power coin. She needed to hold it, make sure her worst fear at the time, wasn't coming true. She watched herself pale when the realization hit.  
  
"My power coin is gone!" she cried, frantically searching the cluttered bag. Her friends' concerned glances escaped her vision, as she noticed a flash of pink on her hand. She glanced down slowly at it, trying to wish it away, but what she saw were pink streaks of energy swimming around her arms.  
  
"We've got to get to the Command Center!" Tommy cried, pulling a distraught Kimberly to her feet. He hugged her close and activated his communicator simultaneously with his team. They disappeared in their respective colours and formed in the power structure Tommy had spoken of. Invisible Kim was suddenly transported to the Command Center, her surroundings blurring and fading like running water until she was where she supposed to be. She saw herself standing next to Tommy, swaying considerably. She wasn't listening to what Zordon was saying; she could only focus on herself, as her body suddenly fainted into her muscular boyfriend.  
  
Why did it have to be me? She thought softly. The rangers suddenly dematerialized, and she was met with herself. She lay on a bed in the Command Center, just waking up. Alpha was trying to get her to lay back down as she stubbornly rose to meet the images of Kat surrounded by Tenga's on the viewing globe.  
  
"Zordon, please I have to help her. It's my duty as a ranger. The others need to take care of Rita's latest monster, I need to take care of this." She pleaded, looking up at the floating image of her mentor.  
  
Zordon finally granted her permission, and she teleported to where Kat was stranded. Before she knew it, she was there, watching herself fight off the purple birds, and losing fast. She struggled so hard to beat them, and save her friend, but she fell quickly and was taken prisoner. Kat had betrayed her.  
  
Why!?  
  
"Oh god Kim, I'm sorry." Kat whispered aboard the Megaship. She and the other rangers watched helpless as Kim relived losing her powers to evil.  
  
Back in Kim's memory, she was now in Zedd's dark dimension, her powers being slowly drained from her unconscious body. Kim blinked, a thought suddenly occurring to her.  
  
How can I hold my breath this long? She asked no one. She was startled when the voice she'd heard back in the cave answered her.  
  
Your heart rate has been slowed to ensure your safety during your memory. It said.  
  
Kim frowned mentally. If that's true, the why do you have the rule about not being able to come up for breath?  
  
Coming up for air disrupts the flow of the memory to the human eye, and once it has begun to run, it is only able to run once. The voice explained. Some people are so afraid that they will die, however, that they come up for air.  
  
Why are they so afraid of dying? Their heart rate has been slowed enough to prevent it. Kim asked.  
  
Fear that one will die is greater than the fear of failure. The voice answered.  
  
Kim looked down at her body as it was rotated on the machine she was hooked up to. No matter how bad this gets, I'm not going to fail. I'll die trying, not giving up. She thought determinedly.  
  
For Tommy Oliver's sake, I hope you succeed Kimberly Ann Hart. With that, the voice was gone. Kim frowned at the last comment, wondering how a computer, or so she guessed it was, could hope. Either way, she agreed.  
  
*** The rangers watched in awe of Kim as her memory continued. They watched as Tommy fought Goldar, but noticed that the former pink ranger was focused on something else.  
  
*** Kimberly could hear the thoughts from her younger self as she lay revolving in the background of Tommy's fight. Kim stood behind the table, her energy focused on her body. "I can hear Tommy." She thought softly. "I hope he wins. I can feel myself.fading.Tommy, hurry.not much.time."  
  
Hurry Tommy, not much time left. Kimberly thought, echoing her past as she watched herself sadly. She looked up and watched Tommy finally defeating the gold monkey. Once he was gone, her love ran to her, and as he did, time for Kim seemed to slow almost to a crawl. She watched as her shining white knight ran towards her. She could read his face, even though it was hidden by his helmet. Somehow, she could see through the dark visor. When he finally reached her, she could see the raw emotions on her beloved's face. The fear of losing her, the love, the sadness, the anger. She knew that he loved her more than anything.then. She had no idea how he felt now, but she still felt the same. She could see how sad and angry he was at what had been done to her. She could feel the vengeance he wanted against his former empress. Then, he did something she never expected, something that took her completely off guard as he carried her out of the gates of hell: he looked at her. For a split second, she saw a look of hope on his face, a look that said there was still a chance for them. For that very brief moment in time, she believed it. She felt like she could do anything. She latched onto that feeling, grasped it as though it was the end of her life. She held onto it as long and as hard as she could, but soon only a fraction remained. Then, he was gone, and time sped up again. Tommy disappeared through the portal with Kim in his arms, back to life.back to the future that lay ahead. As the memory disintegrated, and she found herself surrounded by water again, she remembered how sometimes she wished she had died that day. Just so she wouldn't have to leave, to go to him, in Florida.in hell. Her body jolted as her heart rate returned to normal and her lungs cried out for breath. Her eyes snapped open and she scrambled for the surface as fast as her limbs would take her. She burst through the smooth surface and inhaled as deep as she could. She felt like she had broken through a wall of ice, broken back into life. She regrouped herself, quickly remembering her surroundings, and felt her control over her body returning. She swan quickly to the pool wall, hearing faint voices in the distance as she gripped it. She shook her head, dismissing the disorientation, and realized that the rangers were trying to get her attention.  
  
"Kim, come in! Answer me, are you okay?!"  
  
She jumped out of the pool as fast as her weak limbs would carry her and landed on her stomach, reaching for the communicator. Gasping for breath, she pushed the button and answered her friends.  
  
"I'm here. I'm okay."  
  
She heard the sighs of relief as Kim confirmed what they hoped. An awkward silence followed. Kim frowned.  
  
"Guys, I'm fine. Any change in Tommy?"  
  
"No nothing. I, uh, I'm sorry Kim. We saw the entire thing.heard the entire thing. It must have been horrible." Andros said sympathetically.  
  
"Look," Kim said irritably, "I'm. fine. I don't need pity; it's in the past. No sweat." she sighed, and sat up to gather her things. "That's one down and three to go." With that, she ended transmission, and stood to face the next test. 


	8. Isolation

Disclaimer: I don't own 'em. Insert witty comment here.  
  
Author's note: Sorry this has taken so long to get up. I've been so busy with school.you know how it is. When I've been doing homework, I've been wishing I could write this. Anyway, enjoy!!!  
  
The rangers on the Megaship looked at each other uneasily. Kat sighed and broke the uncomfortable silence.  
  
"She'll be fine. She can take it.she's strong." She reassured them. "Trust me. I know her." They nodded slowly and returned their attention to Kim's quest.  
  
*** "Please gather your things and prepare for the second obstacle." The voice spoke again. She hugged the few possessions she'd brought with her, and dripping wet as she went, moved to wait for the door to open. As the slab slid open, it revealed another stone pool, this time slightly bigger, but still the same depth as before. "Put your belongings aside, and enter the pool. The same rules apply. Are you ready Kimberly Ann Hart?"  
  
"I hope so." She sighed.  
  
"Kim, we're still in visual. Good luck." Andros said from her communicator. Kim smiled slightly, and sat down on the edge of the pool. She slid herself in, noticing that the water was warmer to her now. She again waded out into the middle and took a deep breath before descending beneath the surface. She felt her heart rate slowing and she relaxed, letting go. She closed her eyes and suddenly felt the water fade around her. She opened her eyes and looked around, finding herself in another familiar place.  
  
This is my house.  
  
She was on her front porch, spotting herself and Tommy walking towards her. "I had a wonderful time Tommy." She heard herself say. She smiled shyly at her boyfriend, but jerked at the sound of screaming coming from her house. Invisible Kim felt her stomach muscles tighten.  
  
Oh no.  
  
"What was that?" Tommy asked worriedly.  
  
Kim sighed and closed her eyes. "They're fighting again." She said putting her hand on her forehead as tears began to swell in her eyes. Tommy immediately grabbed her in a hug and stroked her hair.  
  
"You don't have to go in there. We can go to the park or something." He suggested.  
  
"No, no. It's okay." She said pulling away. "No matter where I go, how long I stay away, when I get back they'll either be fighting or there'll be this huge weight hanging over the house, and in some way, some how, they'll start fighting again, and I'll hear my name a bunch of times in the screaming, and they'll be fighting over me." She said, crying out right now. "I don't know why they haven't gotten a divorce yet. I don't want them to, but.I don't want them to stay together because of me. I.I just want them to be happy and stop fighting. It's my fault they're fighting."  
  
"No it is not. Kim, don't ever think that!" Tommy said. "This is not your fault. Always, always remember that." He said, hugging her again. Just then the front door swung open.  
  
"Kim, it's late, come inside. Good night Tommy." Kim's father said, glaring at the two of them.  
  
"Coming Dad." Kim said looking down. "Night Tommy." She kissed him on the cheek before following her father into the dark house.  
  
"Kim," Tommy said before she shut the door. Kim looked at him sadly. "Remember what I said. Okay?"  
  
Kim nodded and shut the door, leaving Tommy alone on the dim porch. Invisible Kim waited, and wondered why she hadn't been put inside the house yet. She frowned and looked to Tommy.  
  
"I hope someone's watching over you Kim.I love you." He sighed, and reluctantly turned to leave. He took once last look at Kim's house, and saw her in the window, crying on her couch as two shadows fought behind her. He sighed again and got in his car, and drove away.  
  
Kim was left standing on the porch in tears. As the outside of her house melted away, one thought was with her.  
  
I love you too.so much.  
  
*** "Oh my gosh," Kat said, looking down. "I knew it." She sighed.  
  
*** Kim watched herself rise from the couch and exit the living room, and heading up the stairs. She collapsed in silent tears half way up, as the screaming overwhelmed her.  
  
"You do NOT have control over that! It id MY career!"  
  
"This is our family, I should have some say in the matter!"  
  
"I wouldn't call this a family anymore!"  
  
"Maybe not, but while we're still married, I still have to do something!"  
  
"Is it a duty now, to have a family!"  
  
"Seems like it!"  
  
"Well then, let me take the burden off your hands, I want a divorce!"  
  
Kim gasped. She hadn't expected the blow she knew was coming to hurt so much. She thought, somewhere in the back of her mind, that they'd work it out.that they'd be a family again. She watched herself silently fall apart, wanting to collapse herself from the pain that she felt in her again.  
  
*** "Why isn't she saying anything?" Cassie asked worriedly.  
  
"Tommy told me that this," Kat began, "is one of the things that crushed her in the world. It was.it was like Kim wasn't perfect anymore. I mean I know no one is perfect, but Kim always made it seem like they were. Then, her family was ripped apart. She wouldn't talk to anyone for days. The pain coming back so fast must have caused her to shut down." She sighed sadly as they watched Kim sob silently before them in the illusion that was her house. "I never knew it was this bad."  
  
*** Kim watched herself run up the stairs, and appeared in her room before her former self did.  
  
"Who am I kidding!" she sobbed, "It's all my fault! If I'd never been born, they'd be happy. If I'd never been born." she flopped onto her bed and sobbed into her pillow. Invisible Kim stood in the corner in silent agony. All she could do was watch and cry along with her former self. Soon, silence filled the room and Kim realized that she was asleep on her bed. Kim frowned, expecting the memory to end. She decided to walk around her room, considering she hadn't been there in so long. After two steps, she felt her heartbeat quicken, and ceased immediately. Then, albeit a little late, the scenario before her melted away, and once again Kim's eyes snapped open and she thrashed for the surface. She inhaled deeply and wiped away stray tears with her soaked palm as she swap for the sidewall.  
  
"God, how much worse can this get!" she cried, out of breath. A voice from her communicator breaking her out of her revere.  
  
"Kim, are you okay? Gosh, I'm so sorry, I-I never knew. Are you sure you want Tommy to watch this later?" Kat asked.  
  
"He's gonna have to find out sooner or later." Kim sniffled. She climbed out of the pool as Kat continued.  
  
"Well, we'll still be here the rest of the way, but we can only stay in visual contact.."  
  
"What? Why?" Kim asked.  
  
"Well, the audio connection is having some sort of effect on the ship. If we keep it up, we may not be able to get you back here. We'll still be able to see and hear you though. The problem is coming from rerouting your responses back to us." Andros explained.  
  
"Oh, okay. Well, two down one to go. I'll talk to you guys later." Kim sighed as she gathered her things. She expected a response, but there was none so she guessed they had to cut the connection fast. She stood and moved to the connecting door, and waited for it to open.  
  
"Before you go any further Kimberly Hart, I would like to tell you about the following trials you will experience." The voice announced.  
  
Kim frowned, furrowing her brow in confusion. It would like.? This is too weird. She said to herself. ".Okay." she hesitated.  
  
"After your third, final, and worst memory, you will have to face your greatest enemy and fight your greatest love." The voice continued.  
  
Kim frowned even further. "So.I'm fighting two people?"  
  
"No, they are one."  
  
"Okay, this is getting too weird, can we please just get this over with." Kim said, brushing away the rest of her tears. There was a pause that followed before the voice continued.  
  
"Step through the door Kimberly Hart."  
  
Kim gripped the bundle in her arms, and moved through the now open door. This time she was met with a huge glistening pool, line with rough stones.  
  
"You know what to do Kimberly Hart."  
  
"I really hope it's not what I think it is." she said nervously, as she moved towards her fate. 


	9. Birth of the Letter

Disclaimer: Once more with feeling!!! This is a declaration of non- ownership. Okay? Okay.  
  
Author's note: I apologize for the spelling mistakes in the last chapter, subtle as some may have thought, but I really wanted to get it up. I put all her thoughts in italics, but when I loaded it, it didn't work. Weird. Anyway, on with the show! Hope you like it so far!  
  
Kimberly took a deep breath and this time, jumped into the pool. Her heart slowed as she settled beneath the water. *Here we go again.* The background melted away, and Kim was in her room in Florida. She felt sick as she watched herself shoving various items into a duffle bag. *Oh god.. no.*  
  
*** "This doesn't look that bad." Cassie said hesitantly. She was actually afraid of what it could be.  
  
"Things aren't always as they seem." Kat sad suspiciously, "I know Kim well enough to know that that look on her face.means that it's really bad."  
  
*** Kim began to panic as she watched herself grab belongings off her dresser. She felt thoughts of doubt creep into the back of her mind, but swallowed and pushed them down, for Tommy.  
  
"Never again." She growled through gritted teeth, dropping another item into her bag. There was a sudden banging on the door, and Kim jumped back in fear, her breathing increasing in speed.  
  
"Kimberly open up! I want to talk to you!" a male voice yelled from behind the thin wooden barricade.  
  
"G-go away Brad! I don't want anything to do with you! Leave me ALONE!!!" she screamed back, her voice trembled as her voice filled the room.  
  
"You'll never get rid of me, Kimmie!!!" for a moment Kim thought he'd stalked away, but no, the door suddenly swung open with a crack. Brad lowered the foot he'd kicked it in with, and moved arrogantly into the room.  
  
*Why didn't anyone help me!!!???* Invisible Kim thought, her mental voice shaking in fear.  
  
Suddenly, Kim was in the room next door. Her neighbour was crying on her bed as she listened to Kim's terrified scream. She winced, hearing the crack of Brad's hand making contact with Kim's face.  
  
"Why am I such a coward!" she breathed. "Why can't I just tell the coach.Why doesn't anyone tell him.He's too far away to hear for himself.why doesn't anyone tell him." she sobbed, as the screaming resumed.  
  
Kim the flashed back to her room, and the screaming reached its full volume as tears rolled down her cheeks. *They were too afraid.* Her former self was lying on the floor, cradling her wounded cheek, looking up at her 'boyfriend' in terror.  
  
"Don't you ever disobey me again. Understand? Now, I have a little favour to ask of you, sweetie. Not that you have any choice in the matter." He grinned.  
  
"Never." Kim said defiantly, glaring at him.  
  
Brad's false smile fell and he struck her again, and she yelped as the blow throwing her against her bed. "What did I just say!" he bellowed. He looked down at her and suddenly laughed. "It's almost too easy. Taking your old life away so that you can have a life with me." He knelt down and touched her trembling face, his voice dropping so that only she could hear it. He looked at he a moment, distracted. His look sent shivers down Kimberly's spine as her whole body shook with disgust from his touch. "Hmm," he sighed, rising to his feet. "Well, you're going to do something for me so we can move on with our life.Your so-called 'boyfriend' back in that cartoon you call home.what was his name.oh yes, Tommy." At the mention of his name, Kim's eyes shot up to meet his grinning face.  
  
"What did you."  
  
"Nothing. Yet. It's actually, what I'm going to do to him. Or should I say, what you're going to do to him.my little cupcake." He said wickedly, bending to touch her nose momentarily.  
  
"I would never do anything to hurt him, and not even you can make me." She said flatly.  
  
"Oh really?" Brad laughed, straightening. He suddenly grabbed her and pulled her to her feet by her arm. She cried out in pain from his strength. He held her there for a moment glaring at her, and squeezed harder, which caused his smile to broaden and her to emit a low painful moan. "Now, I have written dear old Tommy a letter." He smiled, pulling a piece of folded paper from his pocket, and placed it gingerly on the desk. "I need you to re-write it, in your handwriting. You're going to break up with your shining white knight of a love." He whispered gleefully. He pulled her over to her near by desk and forced her into the dark wooden chair, grabbing a paper and pen from the top drawer. "Now.write it." He growled.  
  
"No."  
  
Brad hit Kimberly again and she fell off the chair. He yanked her off the ground and pushed her against the wall. She cried out in pain and fear as her back slammed into the hard surface, various pictures crashing to the ground around her. "I thought I told you not to disobey me! Did I not make myself clear! Now get over there and write the damn letter!!!" he yelled, shoving her towards the desk again. Kim stumbled towards the chair, trying to keep her balance. She lost her equilibrium and took a corner of the desk in the stomach. Winded, she slowly sat down at the desk, hesitantly picking up the pen that lay on its surface. With shaky hands, she began re-writing the letter. Tears rolled down her face, but her expression remained neutral. Inwardly she was falling apart, fearing for her life, praying Tommy would understand and see how her hand trembled as she wrote the lies to him.  
  
"That's better." Brad said cruelly. He went to close the door, and then walked around Kim's room as she wrote. Kim felt her stomach twist and prayed that he wouldn't see her bag. Brad was quietly looking for any signs of Angelgrove, when he spotted her bag on the bed and went to pick it up suspiciously.  
  
"What's this?" he said turning to Kimberly. Kim ducked her head and kept writing. "Answer me!" he yelled.  
  
"What does it look like?!" Kim cried in a frustrated tone.  
  
Brad slowly stalked towards her, still clutching the bag. "It looks like, you were planning to run away from me, my love." He said tonelessly.  
  
"Here, I'm done." Kim said flatly, handing him the copy he demanded.  
  
Brad dropped the bag, forgetting it, and snatched the letter to look it over. "Good, good." He smiled. "Now," he sighed handing it back to her. "Put it in an envelope and address it to Tommy."  
  
Kim, glared at him, and took the letter, folded it in half.and ripped it in two. Brad's anger slowly built, and he responded in a frighteningly calm tone. "That wasn't a very good idea, Beautiful." He said, shaking from the fury that burned within him. Kim felt sick as soon as he said that precious name.  
  
"Don't ever call me that, you sick bastard." She breathed. Brad smiled faintly and reached behind his back. He pulled out a gun he'd had concealed beneath his shirt, and pointed it at her head.  
  
"Write it again, or Tommy gets his only love.in pieces." He said, deathly serious.  
  
Kim then began to cry outright. "Why?" she begged, sobs breaking through her voice. "Why are you doing this!"  
  
"Only because I love you.now write it." He said, pressing the barrel of the weapon to her temple. Kim shuttered at its touch, and turned slowly, and rewrote the letter. When she finished, she found an envelope and put Tommy's address on it, then slid it to the side of the desktop. Brad pulled the gun back, and replaced it beneath his shirt, and kissed the letter as he picked it up. "Merry Christmas Tommy." He grinned. He placed the letter in his back pocket, and leaned over Kimberly's shoulder. "I'll see you later.Beautiful." He whispered. Grinning again, he left the room, slamming the door behind him. Kim collapsed onto the desktop, burying her head in her arms. She shook with tears, and managed to stagger to her bed, curling into a protective ball letting the sobs overtake her.  
  
"I have to.get out of here." She said between gasps. Deciding that it was as good a time as any, she sat up to get her bag, and noticed little spots of red on her pillow. "Oh look, I'm bleeding.again." Numbly, she climbed off her bed and retrieved her bag from the floor to finish packing it. She gathered the rest of her belongings and went to the door. She opened it a crack, and looked out into the hall to check for Brad. She swore inwardly, seeing that he was on the pay phone down the hall. He turned, but she shut the door before he saw her. She sighed, feeling another wave of tears coming on as she leaned against the closed door. "Looks like I'll be sticking around a while longer." She slid down the door, crying heavily from both fear and the pain her body felt.  
  
Invisible Kimberly was standing in a corner, also sobbing. The memory ended, and Kim sputtered beneath the water from her grief escaping her lips. She broke through the surface, and crawled out of the pool, collapsing in tears on the side. "Why me." she breathed. "Why me."  
  
The voice returned as Kimberly tried to deal with her memory again. "Congratulations Kimberly Hart, you have completed all of your memories. Now you must face your final obstacle."  
  
"I don't think I can do this. I can't take anymore, please." Kim cried softly.  
  
"You can do anything Kimberly Hart. You have put yourself through so much to get this stone for your love. Kimberly Hart, you realize that if you do not complete your final obstacle, your love Tommy will die."  
  
"I.I know. I have to keep going, for Tommy." Kim took a deep breath and sat up to gather her things for the final test.  
  
"Kimberly Hart, you are weak from your trials, rest. You will need it for the final obstacle. Are you hungry Kimberly Hart?"  
  
"W-what.? A-a bit.I guess, but Tommy will die if I stop. I can't stop." Kim protested.  
  
"Tommy will die if you fail, and you need your strength to succeed. What is your choice?" the voice asked tonelessly.  
  
"What's for dinner?" Kim shrugged.  
  
"Good choice." The voice said. A meal appeared at Kim's feet, consisting of a small salad, mashed potatoes, carrots, some meat and a glass of milk.  
  
"Wow." Kim smiled as she sat to eat.  
  
*** "Mmm, that was really good. Thank you. Now," she said rising again, "can I please get this over with. Tommy doesn't have much time." The empty plate and glass disappeared, and Kim grabbed her things as the door slid open.  
  
"Step through the doors and prepare to face your greatest enemy and fight your greatest love. Good luck Kimberly Hart, this is where our communication ends." The voice said.  
  
Kim nodded, not knowing why, but she understood why the voice had to go. "Thank you, for everything." She smiled.  
  
"No thanks needed, but you can do one thing."  
  
"Anything." Kim said, paused before the entrance.  
  
"Get through the pain. Leave the past behind. It may come back to haunt you, but it cannot hurt you. Not with your friends beside you. Never let them go, any of them."  
  
"Done." Kim smiled, and then moved through the doors, which slid closed behind her. Kim was met with a room that had sharp stones lining the wall, much like the hallway on the way in. Candelabras lined its borders and lit the room with an eerie dim light. Her smile faded as she put her belongings down by the door, and looked around. "Face my greatest enemy, and fight my greatest love." Kim repeated to herself, turning her back to the room's center.  
  
"That's right pink ranger," a very familiar voice said from behind her. She froze in disbelief as it continued. "I am your greatest enemy." The voice was evil. Suddenly, a second voice emerged, the same as the first, but gentler. "But I am also your greatest love."  
  
Kim rose slowly, and turned around, finding two men before her. One looked ready and willing to take her down then and there, while the other looked at her lovingly.  
  
"Tommy." she breathed. 


	10. Dealing

Disclaimer: Take a wild guess. Go ahead, shot in the dark. I am getting so sick or repeating that I don't own them.  
  
Author's note: in response to one of the reviews (which I really appreciate by the way), no, Kim didn't forget about Tommy. It doesn't end at the quest, there are still memories to confront. read on traveler!  
  
Tommy smiled evilly at Kimberly as he fell into a defensive stance. "Please, I don't want to fight you." Kim said moving towards him with her hands out in front of her.  
  
"Looks like you don't have a choice pink ranger." He said, grinning even wider.  
  
Kim couldn't think. Why was she fighting Tommy???.or rather two of them. The other one had somehow disappeared from the dark corner he had stepped out of. She figured that she must have to face them one at a time. But she couldn't figure out why she had to fight him, any part of him. Then, it hit her.  
  
"You're evil. Tommy's dark side.my greatest enemy." She said aloud, receiving a nod from the still grinning 'Tommy.'  
  
"And, I am your greatest love." A pair of arms encircled her waist, and her breath caught in her throat. He had moved from his dark corner to come around behind her. Suddenly she felt safe, she felt warm. She almost melted into his arms, but he pulled back. "It is not time for me yet, but don't worry. I'll be back." And then, he was gone.  
  
"Tommy.don't go." she said, turning to catch him, make him stay, make him love her, but he was gone.  
  
"Well pink ranger, now we can get down to business." Tommy's voice said maliciously from behind her. She frowned and turned around slowly.  
  
"I don't care which part of Tommy you are, I won't fight you." She said determinedly.  
  
"Fight me.or fail the quest." Tommy said grinning conniving.  
  
Kim stood silent for a moment, considering her possibilities, then fell into a fighting stance. Tommy smirked wickedly and attacked, sending a spinning heal kick towards Kim's head. She flipped backwards away from it, hitting his foot at the same time. Tommy stumbled backwards, but regained his balance.  
  
*How do I beat him!?* Kim thought. She didn't have time to consider her answer because Tommy then ran at her with a series of punches. They engaged in a lightning fast hand-to-hand combat. Tommy punched and Kim blocked, immediately sending a return. Tommy blocked and faked right before swinging to her left. Kim ducked; delivering a hit to his stomach, then came up with an upper cut. Tommy caught her by the wrist and they stared at each other. His eyes filled with evil, hers with pure determination. Tommy flung her by her wrist so forcefully that it spun her around. He was prepared to take her out with a mean right hook, but Kim bent over as she came around, ducking his punch. She came up, and used her momentum to deliver a crushing left hook to his jawbone. Tommy fell back, unconscious. Kim stared at him for a couple of seconds, breathing heavily. She bowed her head and shut her eyes tightly, and turned away from him. "How do I beat him! How did we reach him before.That's it!" she said looking up. Her eyes bolted around the room, thinking of how to go about her plan. "His heart! This Tommy still has feelings for me, if it's his evil self from my ranger days. If I can use that to beat him.it has be it. It."  
  
"Mmm." Tommy groaned, interrupting Kim's thoughts. She whirled around, and saw him recovering and rising as he rubbed his jaw. He opened his eyes and glared at her. He was about to retaliate, but Kim's words halted him.  
  
*I hope this works.* she said inwardly. "Tommy, please don't do this." she said putting her hands in front of her again.  
  
"And why not! Because everyone 'misses' me!" he said in mock sadness.  
  
"No," she said, taking a deep breath. "because.I love you."  
  
Tommy's expression dropped, and his face paled. "Wh-what did you just say?" he breathed.  
  
"I said, I love you." Kim sighed sadly.  
  
"You.you love me? Even after all I've done?" he said in disbelief. He was frozen.this was good. Kim edged towards him and took a deep breath and continued.  
  
"Yes, and.if you come back to me, we can be together.forever." She whispered. She looked up at him, and saw the rage fading from his eyes.  
  
"Yes." He nodded. "Yes." His lips drew nearer to hers, to meet in a forgiving kiss, but never quite made it. Tommy faded away, leaving Kim standing alone. Her face scrunched up, and her hands flew up to try and cover the tears that were silently falling from her eyes.  
  
"Hello Beautiful." A voice said from behind her. Kim exhaled shakily, and suddenly whirled around to face him.  
  
"What are you gonna do to me, huh? You gonna.gonna take away my powers, you gonna leave me! Huh! Well you're too late, it's been done. Oh and being beaten to a bloody pulp! Old news! So what, you gonna fight me, well.bring it on. I could use a punching bag right now." She screamed. Tommy just stood there while she screamed. Screamed out all the hate, all the pain and anger. Anything to stop the pain. She stood there breathing heavily, waiting for Tommy to respond.  
  
"I.I was hoping we could talk is all." He said, completely oblivious to what she had just said.  
  
"What?" she breathed. "I pour my heart out about everything I've endured, everything I've been through, the pain, the torment of reliving that hell, and you want to TALK! What kind of clone do you think you are!" she screamed, stalking up to him, yelling in his face.  
  
"Please Kim, I just wanna talk. Maybe there's still a chance for us. Please, talk to me." He said softly.  
  
"I CANNOT HANDLE THIS!!!" Kim screamed, backing away and throwing her hands in the air. "I love you, but I can't do this, not now." She continued hoarsely. "I can't take any more emotions to deal with. I'm just not ready to feel any more than I have. I have to sort out what happened with Brad, and gymnastics, and myself. I have to figure out what happened to me, don't you understand that!"  
  
"Maybe I can help, and we can get closer." Tommy urged, not moving from where he stood.  
  
"No." Kim said firmly. "Please understand that I need to do this alone. I know that when I need you, you'll be there, and maybe then we can work out what we have between us, but please, please put us aside for now, and let me deal." She sighed, backing away from him. He bowed his head, and then faded away. Kim sighed, and crouched on the ground putting her head in her hands. She cried softly, trying to sort out what had just happened to her. Suddenly, she heard a noise behind her. She stood, and smoothed out her hair as she turned. An exasperated sigh of relief escaped her lips as a glittering green stone sat in the distance on a black stand in the center of the sandy room.  
  
"Finally!" she cried, racing towards it. She got so caught up in the quest and the joy of finding the stone at last that she reached for it, when a booming voice caught her attention.  
  
"STOP KIMBERLY HART!"  
  
COMING SOON: Tommy wakes up, with his memory intact. What will he say to Kimberly, and what will he do when he sees the quest. 


	11. It's All Coming Back

Disclaimer: the truth is out! I don't own the power rangers! NNNNNOOOOOOOOO!!!!  
  
Authors note: I hate school. I'm so sorry, I promised this would be here sooner, but dumb old school got in my way.  
  
Kim pulled her hand back, startled by the sudden command. "Who's there!" she demanded.  
  
"It is me Kimberly Hart, do you not recognize my voice?" the voice replied. Kim recognized it suddenly, from the cave and the first three memories.  
  
"You! But, I though you said you couldn't talk to me anymore." She said confused.  
  
"I could not talk to you for that section of the quest. You had to do that on your own. Now, do not touch the stone. If you do, Tommy's memory will go into you." The voice said.  
  
"Then how do I get it out of here?" she asked.  
  
"There is a pouch hanging beneath the stone, put it over it and close it carefully." Kim nodded and moved to the stand, and just as the voice said, there was a black drawstring pouch hanging from a hook beneath it. She sighed, smiling as she looked at the pouch in her hand, then headed for the now open door on the other side of the room. Funny, she never noticed it opening. Light poured in from the other side, lush trees lay beyond the exit and she could hear birds singing. She stopped and turned around as the door behind her closed.  
  
"Oh no! My stuff!" she cried, running to it. It closed before she reached it, and she was left to bang on the stonewall. She sighed and gave up, turning back to the sunny door. "Oh well, nothing irreplaceable." She said walking into the sunlight. "Thank you for all your help," she said looking up. "whoever you are." She watched the door close, and then was teleported out.  
  
"Anytime Beautiful." whispered a voice.  
  
*** "Great job Kim!" Andros smiled, patting her on the back, as she materialized on the bridge.  
  
"Yeah, excellent." Ashley smiled.  
  
"You were amazing!" T.J. grinned.  
  
"Wow." was all Cassie could say.  
  
"That. Was.Incredible." Zhane said shaking his head.  
  
Kim smiled slightly and looked at Kat, who was trying to find the words to express how she felt. "Kim, I had no idea.I'm so sorry." Was all she could find. "What happened to 'him?'" she asked hesitantly.  
  
"I'll explain later, right now, we have to get the stone to Tommy." She sighed moving to the bridge doors.  
  
She broke into a run and the rangers followed suit, barreling down the hallway to the infirmary. *Hang on Tommy.* Kim said inwardly. Once they reached the infirmary, the doors hissed open, revealing a sleeping Tommy attached to various machines. They all gathered around him and Kim pulled the pouch open. She reached down, and gently opened Tommy's palm enough for the stone to fit. She'd forgotten how soft his hands were, how good they felt. She exhaled, and tipped the pouch, and the emerald stone fell into his waiting palm. Once there, his body reacted by instinctively gripping it. It began to glow after a few moments, filing through his closed fingers in strips of eerie light. When it faded.nothing happened. Tommy lay, still sleeping, and gripping the now black drained stone.  
  
Tommy, could suddenly think again. He felt a rush of energy through his body, and an overwhelming and familiar sensation came flooding back. *My memory!* he cried inwardly.  
  
Memories of childhood, his first day of school, karate class, friends, graduations, old crushes, horrible memories that were buried but never forgotten. A million old emotions surged through him as the past again flowed through him, and he re-experienced his entire life in a flash. N\But time seemed to slow down, when his memories of Kim hit. Their first kiss, he felt the joyous sensations, their first date and the hesitations, the innocence, and then.the letter. That hurt, that pain, was back, and then gone in a heart beat. Suddenly, he was conscious.  
  
"Did it work?" he heard Ashley say hesitantly.  
  
"I don't know." Said. Kat?  
  
Then, there was a voice. The one voice he'd longed to hear, whispered in his ear, her breath sending chills down his spine. "Please don't leave me. I need you.so much. Don't you dare leave me Thomas Oliver." Then.a sigh. "Open your eyes, you faker."  
  
He smiled, and his lids fluttered open. "Kim." He breathed. The rangers sighed in relief, and watched the reunion unfold.  
  
"Don't you ever scare me like that again." She smiled, tears welling up in her eyes. She had begun to think that what she had done was for nothing when he didn't wake up at first. She was so relieved to see his smiling face, and not the vacant stare she'd seen before on the bridge. She stroked his hair as he sighed, closing his eyes for a moment.  
  
"Tommy," Andros said, hesitantly interrupting their 'moment.' "do you remember what happened?"  
  
Tommy tried to lift his head, but a wave of dizziness flushed over him, and her groaned putting his head back down. "It's still a little fuzzy, but it's coming back.slowly." He attempted to sit up again, but Kim pushed his back down.  
  
"Whoa Handsome. You've been through a lot, so don't try to show how tough you are by making it worse. Stay down." Kim said, putting her hand on his chest.  
  
"Always taking care of me, huh Beautiful." He smiled. *She called me Handsome!*  
  
*I love it when he calls me Beautiful.* Kim smiled to herself.  
  
*Now I know they're meant to be together/* Kat thought as she saw the way the two looked at each other. The others smiled as well, knowing that they were perfect for each other.  
  
*They look good together.* T.J. observed.  
  
*I hope this thing with the three of them is resolved soon.* Cassie frowned.  
  
*Ah, young love. No, eternal love.* Carlos smiled reflectively.  
  
*They look happy. I hope Kat's okay with this. She looks a bit uneasy. I'll talk to her later, see how she's doing. Maybe even get to know her better.* Zhane thought as he looked over at the blonde.  
  
*I hope me and Andros have a love like that one day. So pure, gentle.kind. It's like none I've ever seen. It's forever.* Ashley thought, looking over at Andros. She put her hand over his, and he grasped it firmly, returning her soft smile.  
  
*I'll give you a love like theirs Ashley. Always. Never ending love, but it's not time for that yet. Not until I figure out how you feel. Then I'll reveal my true feelings for you.* He sighed inwardly.  
  
"Tommy.when you get a bit better, there's something I need you to see." Kim sighed, taking a seat beside him.  
  
"What is it Beautiful?" He turned his head to her, frowning from the pained expression on her face.  
  
".My quest." She said quietly.  
  
"Quest?" "I had to go on a memory quest for your memory stone, and I had to face three of my worst memories.and something else, to get it, and since the rangers were in visual contact, the quest was recorded.So, since I can't bear to go through it again, I'm asking you to watch it.It'll explain a lot." She said in a hurry, as she fixed her eyes on the ground.  
  
"Hey," he said softly, touching her cheek to return her gaze to him. "Of course I will watch it." He smiled, absently rubbing his thumb across her cheek. "Oh, I've been wondering.what's Kat doing here?" he asked quietly, glancing over at the now chatting rangers.  
  
Kim looked over at her, as the Australian met her gaze. Kim gestured for her to come over and rose from her seat smiling gently. "Go on, answer his questions." She said. "I'll see you later, I'm going to take a shower and get freshened up." She said looking at Tommy. He nodded and watched her go with a smile, before turning his attention to his friend.  
  
Author's note: Well, I was going through the book the story is in, and I couldn't find a suspenseful way to end it. I hope you like it! Much more to come!!! And soon I hope, school is getting hectic, and I have to get ready for my graduation!!! AAHH!!! And my birthday!!! 


	12. Getting to Know You

Disclaimer: Hear ye, hear ye, they, the power rangers that is, are not mine.  
  
Kat smiled nervously, avoiding Tommy's eyes. "Hey Kat." He said softly. Kat silent for a moment then looked up at him.  
  
"Thank god you're okay!" she cried, with tears in her eyes, as she leaned over and hugged him. She lay her head on his chest and sighed in relief before sitting back to wipe the tears from her eyes.  
  
"I assume that you had something to do with that." Tommy smiled. Kat smiled shyly, looking down.  
  
"Sort of. The space rangers thought that I was the one who was supposed to go on the search for your stone.all I did was tell them about Kimberly." She said, fumbling with her hands.  
  
"Kat," Tommy said, getting her to look up at him, "that saved my life." He stated, looking straight into her eyes. She blushed and held his gaze for a moment, before returning her eyes to her hands. "Now what is this quest?" Tommy sighed.  
  
"It's pretty much exactly what Kim said.if you caught half of it." She smiled. "Like she said, we were in visual so we have it on the ship's file.and it does explain a lot, unfortunately."  
  
"What, is it bad?" Tommy asked, getting slightly worried.  
  
"Just.watch it. With her without her, it doesn't matter, but be there for her when it's over. Promise?" Kat sighed.  
  
Tommy frowned curiously. "Of course." He agreed.  
  
"Tommy," Andros said, approaching the table. "you'll have to stay in bed for at least the rest of today, and all of tonight if you want to be up anytime soon. Your injuries may be stabilized, but they still have to heal. Plus you'll have a nasty headache and severe dizziness if you try to get up before then."  
  
"Most of us have chores around the ship, but I'm sure Kat and Kim will keep you company." Ashley smiled as she joined Andros. "Hey, where is Kim anyway?"  
  
"I'll go find her." Zhane volunteered. "Besides, I have to get myself reacquainted with the ship." He grinned as he left.  
  
"And we will finish our chores, and leave you guys to catch up." T.J. smiled. The rangers said their goodbyes and filed out of the infirmary. As the doors hissed closed, Kat turned back to Tommy and smiled. "So," he grinned, "tell me about London."  
  
*** "Kim? You in there?" Zhane called, knocking on Kim's door.  
  
"Yeah," he heard a shaky voice from within, "hang on a sec." The doors hissed open and he entered, surprised at how dark the room was. Kim emerged from the small bathroom in the corner of the room, trying to hide her tear- streaked face. But Zhane had lived in a dimly lit environment for months, and his eyes had easily readjusted to the darkness. He could see the injuries on her face that strategically placed make up had previously hidden. Zhane frowned.  
  
"You wanna talk?" he asked softly. *Why did this happen to her?* he asked himself inwardly.  
  
Kim nodded after a moment, avoiding Zhane's eyes as they moved to sit down. They sat on a small couch, and Zhane waited for Kim to begin at her own pace. "I don't really know you that well," she finally began, "But something tells me that I can trust you.About, I guess a month ago or so after I left Angelgrove, I met some people at the gymnastics compound. What I mean is, I began to make friends. I was so lonely when I first got there, I.the people were so cold, and competitive. Then, a group of people started being nice to me. Brad was one of them. He was really nice to me, saying that he knew how it felt to be lonely. I started doing more with the group, going to movies and stuff, then we started going out, just the two of us. I never thought anything of it, I knew I had Tommy.I always talked about him, and home.then, I found out that he liked me. A lot. I was flattered at first, but when he tried to make a move on me once he knew that I'd found out, I reminded him that I was with Tommy. He said that he could make me forget about Tommy. I got angry and told him that I was serious.I thought I could defend myself.I.that's when he hit me first.God, he was so strong. I tried to fight back because I was sure that I could take him, I mean I'd fought worse than him in my ranger days, but.I couldn't beat him. He got really mad when I tried to fight back and told me I was his now and to forget Angelgrove. I looked around for help, but he'd taken me to a secluded part of the park we went to.there was no one around.I was so scared, and I felt even more alone than I had before. He dragged me back to my room at the compound saying that if I even told anyone what he did, he'd make me soooo sorry for it.He meant it, and I knew it. He locked me in my room, and I stayed there crying until coach Schmidt came to see where I was. I panicked and made up some stupid story like the door was jammed or something. I told him I'd been pounding on it for hours before he came. It.it just got worse from there. Brad would beat me or hit me for stupid reasons. Once, he found a picture of me and my friends from Angelgrove.He knocked me down and kicked me a few times." Kim paused, as tears cut off her voice. She swallowed and smiled sadly. "Broke one of my ribs. I told the coach that I hurt myself cause I didn't warm up right. It healed pretty quick, I guess from the regenerative qualities from my ranger powers, and I went back to intense training. The, uh.the beatings went on too, and I wondered why no one had figured it out yet. I was so scared that he'd kill me if I tried to get away, that I let it go on, expecting someone to notice and be stronger than I was.and help me." she stopped there, the tears overtaking her voice.  
  
"How did you cover the injuries?" Zhane asked, still curious as to how a little cover up could hide the bruises he saw on her face.  
  
She laughed a little through her tears, and saw his nervous expression. "Don't worry. I'm not going to lash out at you in a fit of rage. I've had that done to me enough, that I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I'm a make-up expert. It comes with the whole ditz phase I went through in high school. Who knew that it would come in so handy." She frowned, playing nervously with her hands.  
  
Zhane reached over, and covered her hands with his own to comfort her. "How did you get away?" he asked, hating to push her, but this would do her some good.  
  
"That, was actually a stroke of luck." She sighed, looking up at him. "I was doing my homework in my room about a day or so after the latest beating.I heard footsteps outside my door, and then there was someone banging on it. It was Brad. Then, the next thing I knew, I was on the bridge of a wonderful starship." she smiled. "Once I realized where I was, I hid the 'afraid of the abusive boyfriend' look, and put on my 'where the hell am I' look before I turned around."  
  
Zhane frowned and squeezed her hand. "Unfortunately, you're too good at that.But I'm curious. Why didn't you try to get away sooner, when it first started? Did he have you under watch or something?"  
  
"No, nothing like that. He just.seemed to come by too often. Anytime I went to training, he'd be there to watch. He wasn't actually on the team you see; he was a friend of one of the guys on it. I just wonder if he knew what Brad was really like.Then when I'd go home, he'd follow me and want to 'talk.'" She shook her head.  
  
"What will you do?" Zhane asked. Kim opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off by the door chime.  
  
"Guys, are you in there?" Andros called.  
  
"Yeah," Kim said, jumping up. "Please, I can't let anyone see me like this. I have to go and put on my make-up." She begged before she ran into the bathroom again and called, "come on in!" over her shoulder. Zhane nodded and rose from the couch to go to the door. He put the lights back up to normal and opened the door.  
  
"Hey man, what can we do for ya?" he smiled.  
  
"Did Kim get everything she needed?" Andros asked.  
  
"When did she go on a supply run?" Zhane frowned. "She gave Ashley a list before she went on the quest, and we teleported it to her room." He replied. Just then Kim emerged from the bathroom, looking as good as new. She smiled at Andros as Zhane turned to her.  
  
"Wow! You're fast!" he cried.  
  
Kim looked at him with a 'SHUT-UP' expression, as he smiled. "Whatever that means." Andros said, choosing to ignore it, "Tommy wants to see you before he goes to sleep." He said to Kim.  
  
"I'll be right there. Thanks." She sighed. Andros nodded and smiled at Zhane as he exited.  
  
"See ya." He said on his way out. Zhane turned to Kim as the door closed behind him.  
  
"What?" she frowned, moving to the mirror.  
  
"Why didn't your make-up come of in the water? That just occurred to me." He asked.  
  
Kim sighed. "I have heavy duty waterproof make-up. I'm careful, don't worry." Zhane frowned at that. She was too good at this. She walked past him and left the room, leaving him alone in her room. 


	13. Change is Good

Disclaimer: Hey guess what?! I don't own the power rangers!!!  
  
"You wanted to see me Handsome?" Kim smiled as she entered the infirmary. She went over to Tommy's bed and shyly took a seat beside him.  
  
Tommy turned his head toward her and smiled slightly. "Hey." He said sleepily. "How are you?"  
  
"You're just making it worse by staying up longer, you know. I wouldn't have minded if you'd just gone to sleep. But, I'm touched." She sighed, grinning at her white knight. He opened his mouth to speak, but Kim cut him off. "Now, get some, no scratch that, lots of sleep, and we'll catch up later okay?" she kissed him on the forehead and moved to stand.  
  
"Don't I get any say in this?" Tommy asked weakly.  
  
"No." Kim grinned as she shut off the lights. "Goodnight."  
  
"Night Beautiful." Tommy yawned. "Same ol' Kim."  
  
Outside the infirmary, Kim sank against the wall, trying to push back the tears that threatened to fall. She was still upset from reliving her memories with Zhane, and seeing Tommy just reminded her that she would have to relive them again. As much as she wanted to tell him, she didn't know if she could handle them. She didn't see Cassie and Ashley coming down the hall toward her.  
  
"Kim," Ashley asked worriedly when they saw her, "are you okay?" she said as they knelt beside her.  
  
"Oh," Kim sighed re-composing herself, "uh, yeah. Just thinking." *Yeah, great excuse Kim!* she fumed inwardly. She got up from the floor and waved goodbye as she headed to her room. "Night." She called over her shoulder.  
  
Cassie and Ashley stared after her as she ran off. " We should talk to Zhane. He went after her before." Ashley said concerned about Kim's emotional condition. Cassie nodded and they headed for the bridge.  
  
*** "I had no idea. I thought it was just the one time, which was already too much. But so recently?" Ashley sighed, sitting back in her bridge chair.  
  
Zhane had just told them what he and Kim had talked about. He hadn't gone into great detail, because he didn't want Kim to think that he'd betrayed her, but he'd let them in on the basics.  
  
"We have to do something. He could come back." Carlos said.  
  
"He's right, we can't keep them up here forever, they have to go back to earth sometime." Cassie agreed, nodding her head.  
  
"Hey, where's Kat?" Zhane intervened, receiving a funny look from the rangers.  
  
"I don't know, maybe in her room." T.J. answered. He turned back to the rest of the group and went back to talking about Kim. "Should we keep an eye one her? What about locating him on the scanners?"  
  
The rangers went on talking about how to go about the situation, while Zhane went o find Kat. He walked past the infirmary and peeked inside, finding her standing by Tommy's sleeping form. He stood by the open door, and listened to her words.  
  
"I know that you still love Kim, and I respect that. I'm happy for you, and.I know you two were meant to be together. But give her time. Anyway, I just thought I'd say this while you were asleep, because I don't think I'd be able to do it when you're awake.I know it never really worked out between us, so I just wanted to tell you that, well, I've found somebody else. Sort of. I don't actually know how he feels about me, but I'm going to tell him how I feel, and I'll see from there. Um, I don't know if you remember meeting him, but you did.for a second anyway. Anyway, his name is Zhane."  
  
Zhane shifted quietly at the door way, and smiled. *Wow! She likes me!* he thought as Kat continued.  
  
"He's a great guy, and I really like him. Ever since that day, well it was only two days ago, but still, ever since I met him in the holding bay, I've been kinda hooked. I mean, I go on a self guided tour around the ship, and I find the guy of my dreams." Kat paused and smiled as Tommy shifted in his sleep and sighed. "I know, I know. Kim would kill me if she found me here, keeping you from your sleep. So, I'd better go, but you have to promise me something first. And I only say this, because I know you can hear me. Promise me you'll talk to her. She's been through a lot and there's more to come, so she'll need you there to help her deal with it. Promise?"  
  
Tommy sighed again, and smiled.  
  
"Good. I knew you could hear me. Goodnight Tommy. I hope you have sweet dreams of your only love." With that, Kat kissed him lightly on the forehead and turned to leave. She jumped and covered her mouth so she wouldn't scream when she saw Zhane standing in the doorway.  
  
"You scared me!" she whispered as she moved over to him. "How long have you been standing there?"  
  
"Long enough." He whispered, smiling. He then moved over to her, caressed her face with his hand, and kissed her. Kat melted into his embrace and returned the kiss, putting her arms around his waste. Zhane pulled back momentarily and looked into her eyes. "Does that tell you how I feel?"  
  
Kat smiled. "I think I need to double check." Zhane grinned and kissed her again.  
  
*** Kim woke up, feeling a presence in her room, and sat up instantly. "Who's there." She demanded.  
  
"Whoa, calm down Beautiful, it's just me." Said a weak voice from the corner of the room.  
  
Kim sighed and relaxed slightly. "Tommy, you scared me. What in the world are you doing here, and out of bed from that matter? It's too early for you to be up."  
  
"It's one thirty in the afternoon." Tommy laughed.  
  
"Oh, well, I uh. I suppose I should get up, huh?" Kim smiled.  
  
"Yeah, I'll leave you to it then." Tommy sighed. Kim nodded, and waited for him to leave, but he wasn't moving.  
  
"Well?" She said.  
  
"I'm um, still a bit weak. I thought I could get up but.could you help me up?" he said.  
  
"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry. Of course!" Kim jumped off her bed and rushed over to him. She hooked his arm around her shoulders, letting him put his full weight on her as he struggled to get up. With a grunt, he was on his feet. They moved towards the door, and Tommy swayed a little. Kim stumbled slightly from he weight, and they almost both fell, but she managed to get her footing and they made it to the door.  
  
"Sorry. I never realized that you were that strong though." He grinned, looking down at her. His smile broadened when he noticed that his arm hid nearly everything but her head from view.  
  
"Don't apologize, it's not your fault." She smiled. They moved towards the infirmary as they talked. "You can wait for me in the infirmary, in bed, got it?" Kim said firmly.  
  
"When'd you get so smart?" Tommy teased, as he saw the doors come into view.  
  
"I've had experience. If you want to call it that." her smile faded as she looked up at the doors as they slid open. "Here we are." She sighed and helped Tommy into his cot.  
  
"Is it something to do with your quest?" he asked adjusting himself to a sitting position.  
  
"Um yeah. So, um, when are you going to watch it?" she asked hesitantly.  
  
"I was hoping to watch it now. I was waiting for you to get up just in case in case you wanted to watch it with me?" He suggested softly.  
  
Kim looked at him, then down at the floor. "I don't know if I can handle it a third time."  
  
"I understand. I'll find you when it's over?" he smiled gently.  
  
Kim exhaled, and smiled nervously. "Yeah, I uh, I'll either be in my room, or, I don't know, exploring the ship I guess. If you see Andros, tell him not to worry. I won't touch anything." Tommy nodded. "Thanks. I, uh.see ya." She said, turning to leave.  
  
Tommy watched her disappear down the hall. He sighed and grabbed the crutches the rangers had given him, and got up. Once he had himself steadied, he headed towards the bridge. 


	14. For Your Viewing Pleasure

Disclaimer: They're not mine. Neat, eh?  
  
Author's note: sorry this has been taking so long, but I've been having a lot, and I mean a LOT of trouble accessing the site. I hate my computer, it hates me, we have an understanding. But please keep reading; I love it when you guys read!!!  
  
Tommy hobbled onto the bridge and looked around. He hadn't the slightest idea of what to do, so he did what he thought was best: what they did on star trek.  
  
"Um, computer?" he felt so stupid saying it, but he decided that it was better than trying to push some buttons, possibly sending the entire ship crashing into whatever planet they were close to, or maybe even blowing it up altogether. What surprised him though, was that he got an answer.  
  
"My name is D.E.C.A., how may I help you Tommy?" a voice answered.  
  
Tommy looked around instinctively, trying to find the source of the voice, but smiled realizing that he was talking to a computer. Then, it hit him that it had called him by name.  
  
"H-how do you know my name?" he stammered.  
  
"I have been monitoring your progress. You are a very strong young man Tommy. I am impressed. Now, what can I do for you?" she asked again.  
  
"I was hoping that I could watch Kim's memory quest, at least I think that's what it's called." Tommy sighed, leaning his crutches up against the wall.  
  
"Of course, I am happy to pull it up for you. Take a seat in a helm chair and I will load it on the main view screen." D.E.C.A. replied.  
  
"Um, thank you." Tommy said, and moved over to the captain's chair. He sat down and looked around some more. The various controls and stations just blew him away. This was far more advanced than any of the rangers' powers of the past. An image on the view screen before him pulled his attention from the technology that surrounded him. He saw Kim, walking slowly through a dark cave. She looked down at a drop of water on her arm and mumbled something, but Tommy didn't hear it. "D.E.C.A.? Is the sound on?" he asked.  
  
"No, my apologies."  
  
"Thanks." Instantaneously, Tommy heard the sounds of the cave. The dripping water, and Kim's slow, careful steps as she proceeded. Suddenly, a voice was talking to her as she came into an opening in the dark hall. Tommy noticed something oddly familiar about the voice, and frowned. This all somehow seemed familiar to him. Then, it hit him. That's my voice! I remember bits of this! I must've somehow been there from my subconscious. Weird. He thought. It somehow made no sense, but being a ranger, Tommy knew that he should just accept it and be thankful that he could be there, even if he couldn't remember it. His thoughts got away from him and before he knew it, Kim was in her first memory. He watched sadly, as she relived the horror of losing her powers. He heard her thoughts, and wanted to look away. He couldn't watch her go through this, couldn't watch the pain play across her face as she watched her life fade from her, knowing that there was nothing that she could do. But he kept watching, he had to be strong for her. Then, he watched, in the same utter astonishment when he noticed himself look at Kim in the cave just before he carried her out. The eerie light in the dark dimension reflected on the visor of his helmet for a fraction of a second, and in that second, he looked up at her. He saw the hope on her face, and felt her latch onto it, her body pulled forward from the emotional tug. She held onto it for dear life, and as he watched, Tommy felt an overwhelming hope in himself, and knew that he loved her now more than anything in his life, more even than his own soul.  
  
"I love her." He breathed. The memory ended, and he sighed. He then leaned forward in anticipation for the next memory. The fact that it was the night her parents decided that they were getting a divorce, made him considerably upset.  
  
He'd always wondered what had happened after he'd left her at the door that fateful night, and now, he had his answers. Kim crumbled in tears on the stairs as her parents screamed. He never knew that their words were so venomous, and he was angry that they involved her. Then, the blow they both knew was coming.  
  
"I want a divorce!"  
  
Kim let out a silent sob as the house before him went silent. No longer could he hear Kim's parents screaming. All her saw was Kim, frozen in pain. He could see the life drain from her eyes, could see that her world had shattered that night. Time seemed to slow down as he watched her image collapse. She held her breath as the shock continued to ripple through her like electricity, and it transferred to him, but in the form of anger, pity, and helplessness. Then the image speed up for him again as Kim bolted for her room, and the last fragments of the memory played out. He sat back and sighed, wiping a stray tear he hadn't even noticed had fallen from his face. Kim struggled with her past before him, and then moved on to the next, final, and worst memory. He shifted nervously as it began to play out, and his stomach churned when he saw her throwing the contents of her apartment into a duffle bag. It had to be bad, because Kim didn't give up so easy. He was startled by the banging on her door, and prayed it wasn't what he thought it was. Then, his beloved's worst nightmare kicked the door in and began to beat and scream at her. Tommy's face went white, and froze in anger as he watched. He winced when Brad's hand connected with Kim's face, and his fists unconsciously balled as he glared at the image. He felt like an idiot also, as he watched how the letter that ripped his heart apart had come into existence.  
  
*Why didn't I call!* he lamented.  
  
His breath caught in his throat when Kim ripped up the letter. Momentarily proud of her courage to defy the monster, he instantly knew that that was a bad idea. And he was right. Brad removed a gun from his shirt and Tommy jumped up.  
  
*If he shoots her.* he was going to kill him anyway for even pointing that thing at Kim, adding to the list of reason's why he deserved to die in Tommy's opinion. But his anger dulled slightly turning to relief when Kim wrote the letter and he left. Death to Brad, though satisfying, would do no good for anyone accept jail time and ridding the world of another bastard. And Tommy knew that even though he would gladly do the time, he was not judge jury and executioner, and could not decide who lived or died. So he had to settle for hating him profusely for now. The memory ended and Tommy slammed his hand into the helm chair in frustration.  
  
"Kim.God if I'd only known." he sighed.  
  
"You couldn't have known." A voice from the door said. Tommy whirled to find Kim standing at the door of the bridge, looking at him sadly. "D.E.C.A. pause quest." She added as she entered the space.  
  
Tommy was frozen where he was. He didn't know whether to run to her, hug her forever (which was what he wanted to do), or stay back and let her make the rules. He did just that, partly because he lacked the mobility to move as his mind and muscle connection was emotionally blocked because his eyes were locked on her.  
  
She came closer and Tommy stood there. She looked up at him and smiled weakly, tears threatening to fall. She was trying to fight them, but a few escaped and cascaded down her face. "I don't need to see the rest." Tommy said.  
  
Kim looked down. "Yes. you do." She took the next helm chair over and looked at him. He sat immediately, and continued to stare at her. "You're making me nervous, staring at me like that. Like I'm some kind of alien." She smiled.  
  
"I'm sorry, I-'' Tommy began, leaning towards her.  
  
"Tommy, it was a joke." Kim smiled nervously. "I'm working on rebuilding my sense of humor."  
  
Tommy smiled and sat back, finding a spot on the floor to stare at for a while. They sat like that for a moment before Tommy heard Kim's voice weakly command D.E.C.A. to resume the quest. He looked up at her, noticing that she averted her eyes from the screen, and was about to say something when,  
  
"You must face your greatest enemy, and fight your greatest love." Pulled his attention back to the screen. He looked over at Kim questioningly.  
  
"Wh-what does that mean?" Kim looked away from him. "Oh god, please tell me it's not me. Kim." his voice trailed off as a tear escaped from her eyes. He turned back to the screen and watched himself taunt and try to trick into surrender. He cringed when they came to blows. Thankfully his evil self was defeated. But then, he watched as he ignored her as she poured her heart out. When he disappeared, the screen went black, and he turned to Kim. He didn't even hear her tell D.E.C.A. to turn it off.  
  
"The uh.the rest is just me retrieving the stone." She said, staring at her hands.  
  
"Kim," he finally said, instantly at her side. He grabbed her hands and looked into her eyes, which hesitantly met his. "Please tell me you know that I would never be that heartless." He paused as Kim nodded after a moment. "Talk to me. Please.I'm here."  
  
She began to shake slightly, and he could feel her hands trembling in his grasp, but she fought even harder now for control. She sighed, and then spoke. "I uh.I met him at a welcome party. He seemed nice.but I guess they all do at first.I told him all about you, and the gang. Nothing about the rangers of course.god, he told me that he thought you and me were meant for each other. I always showed him pictures of the two of the guys, and us and he said he wanted to meet you. Then one day, he just blurted out that he liked me, and he tried to make a move, but I reminded him about you.It.it just went down hill from there. He hit me, told me to forget about you and the guys, that I was his now. Of course I tried to refuse, to fight back.but he was so strong.I tried to get away so many times, but it never worked. He just kept showing up.There was no way I could contact you guys.I tried everything, lord knows I tried everything.so.I gave up." Kim paused and risked a look at him, expecting to see disappointment; frustration that she gave up so easily, but instead found his forgiving doe eyes.weeping for her.  
  
"I am so sorry that you had to go through that alone." He breathed. He embraced her immediately, but she frowned.  
  
"I'm confused." she said.  
  
Tommy pulled back in shock. "Why?"  
  
"I.I thought you'd be disappointed in me.for giving up." She stammered.  
  
"No."  
  
"I mean, for god's sake I was a power ranger! And I couldn't fight off one human!" She cried, as she rose and began pacing the bridge.  
  
"Kim don't do this to yourself." He said firmly, as he rose, taking hold of her shoulders to both stop and force her to look at him, then hugged her to him again.  
  
"I thought that I'd pushed you away. I don't even know why I even thought I wanted that." she said after a moment. "Hey," Tommy began, pulling back to look at her. "It is going to take more than that to push me away. No, I take that back. Nothing, absolutely nothing will push me away from you.unless you sincerely want me to go. But.I'll admit that I am surprised that you gave up.that's not like you." Kim sighed and looked away. "Hey, don't. It surprises me, that's all. Which means that it must have been a lot worse than what I saw for him to break you, because I know that that's not easily done." Kim looked into his eyes and smiled briefly, before her face fell and she couldn't hold back the tears anymore. As she broke down, Tommy enveloped her immediately, and stroked her back. "Shhh.it's okay. That's good, let it all out. It's okay, I'm here.I'm always here." He kissed the top of her head as she sobbed into his chest. Soon he felt her knees giving weigh, and guided her to the floor, leaning back against a near by console for support. They sat there for a while as she sobbed. Tommy just rocked her, stroked her hair and kissed her head as she let all of her pain out.  
  
"Why?" she breathed between sobs. "Why me? What did I do to deserve that?!" she cried. Tommy fought to control his own tears as she muttered those words, before responding as he hugged her tighter.  
  
"You did absolutely nothing!" he then pulled her back to look into her eyes. "This not your fault, you hear me? It was Brad. It is not your fault." He hugged her to him again as another wave of frustrated tears hit. The sobs eased themselves down to light crying and left behind labored breathing. "He is going to pay dearly for this. I swear to you that I will stop him from doing this to anyone else, and make him pay for doing it to you." Kim pulled away in shock, suddenly gasping in fear. "Kim, what what's wrong. Look at me!" Tommy cried.  
  
"He-he's going to come after me!" she cried fearfully. "I was teleported out just before he came in.he's going to come looking.he's going to come to Angelgrove." Tommy just pulled him to her again as she hyperventilated.  
  
"I won't let him hurt you, you hear me? He will not get to you. I am going to do everything I can to stop him. I won't lose you to him again, I love you too much to lose you again." He said. Kim pulled away again, her breathing returning to normal.  
  
"Tommy, what I said in my quest."  
  
"I know, don't worry. I know you need to deal. I just wanted you to know that.When you're ready we'll talk, but not until you're ready. I'll wait as long as it takes." he trailed off as he gazed into her eyes.  
  
Kim sighed, the tears drying on her face. "Thank you. For, for being here, for waiting.thank you."  
  
"Hey, nothing could keep me from being here with you." he smiled caressing her face with his hand.  
  
"Nothing almost did." she said, placing her hand atop his.  
  
"But thanks to you," he smiled, placing a kiss on her forehead, "nothing, lost." They smiled at each other for a moment before Tommy moved to rise. "Come on, let's go exploring together." He offered her a hand up, which she gladly took, and they exited the bridge together.  
  
*** "Here Kimmie Kimmie Kimmie. Don't you worry.I'll find you. Then I'll be able to meet Tommy-boy face to face. And he can watch you die." The malevolent man stalked through Angel Square searching the faces of the crowds that passed him. He spotted a building, which seemed to be attracting a majority of those crowds. "Hmm, the Surf Spot."  
  
Dun dun dun! Hah! How do you like it? I've been away, sorry for the tardy update. (Tardy as in late, I'm too lazy to check if it's spelled right). Hope you like it! I'm only on section P of my book, so there's a lot more. Oh, I wrote it in a giant address book I bought thinking it was a snazzy black writing book. (It was wrapped in plastic so I couldn't look inside). Oh well, at least it's written somewhere! Hope you like it! P.S. congrats to the fanfiction.net people for getting the site back up! I'm computer inept, so I cannot begin to fathom how much that took. So thank you for this website! 


	15. Surprise!

Disclaimer: I do hereby solemnly swear to claim absolutely no, you got that no ownership the power rangers. You dragged it outta me, happy?  
  
"This looks like the engine room." Tommy sighed as he and Kim entered the dim room. "It's pretty dark. How do they work in this light!" he exclaimed.  
  
"They keep the lights off to save energy, so the generator that keeps the engine running is the only light." Kim said, receiving a look from Tommy.  
  
"How do you know all that? Did you suddenly switch professions and become an astronaut instead of a gymnast?" he joked. Kim smiled and looked down timidly. *I love to see that smile.* he thought.  
  
"D.E.C.A. kind of gave me a guided tour last time I walked around." She explained.  
  
"Oh I see, so you tricked me into thinking you were as clueless as me when you're really an old pro at spatial mechanics." He teased, receiving another timid smile from his companion.  
  
"It. it got my mind off things. Trying to remember what everything was." She said, fiddling with her fingers.  
  
Tommy's smile faded and he moved closer to her, taking her hand. "I can't even imagine what it must've been like." He sighed.  
  
Kim looked up at him briefly before returning her focus to her hands. She absently stroked the back of Tommy's hand with her thumb and let out a bitter breath and shook her head. "Complete, total, and utter hell about sums it up."  
  
"He won't hurt you again, I promise." Tommy said, squeezing her hand.  
  
"Don't make promises you can't keep." She sighed looking into his eyes. "I know you'll try your hardest.but eventually he's going to find me. But, when he does, I have you to help me. So that means that I win."  
  
Tommy smiled softly, placing his free hand gently on her face. "You know that you'll always have my help.and my love."  
  
"Tommy, I-''  
  
"I know. I know, I- I just wanted to tell you that. Don't think of it as another feeling to deal with.think of it as a source of hope. Something to draw on in a time of need. Even though I hate to admit it.I won't always be able to protect you. There are things even I can't beat, god knows I'll die trying though.Never forget that I love you. Ever. Promise?" Tommy smiled, raising an eyebrow at her.  
  
Kim, with tears glistening in her eyes, smiled. "I promise." A single tear escaped her eye, and Tommy reached to wipe it away. Suddenly Kim winced at his touch and drew back as her hand flew up to cover the sore spot. "Ouch."  
  
"What is it?" Tommy asked worriedly.  
  
"Nothing, just a bruise." Kim said, avoiding his eyes as she shook it off.  
  
"Lemme see." He said, reaching for her. Kim pushed his hand away, and answered more firmly:  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
"Kim, don't be stubborn. Let me see." He said sternly. Kim sighed in annoyance and moved her hand away. Tommy cupped her face and examined it closely in the light. "You have more. You can't see 'em if you don't look, and you're an expert on make-up, which scares me that I couldn't see these.Kim, these look fresh. Did he.?"  
  
"Yes." she said quietly, avoiding his eyes.  
  
Tommy's face stiffened. "How long ago, why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"No, Tommy, he didn't rape me." She said quickly, causing Tommy to calm slightly. "I'm sorry, I thought you meant did he hit me recently, and I said yes to that. It was the day before I was teleported."  
  
"No, Kim, don't you ever be sorry okay? It is not your fault.I'm still going to rip him apart though." He confirmed.  
  
"Tommy, be rational. It-''  
  
"Rational!? You want me to be rational! Kim I can't stand by and let this maniac run around in the world hurting innocent people. I can't do nothing knowing what he did to you, what he might do again. I have to stop him, no matter what. If me going down with him means that I stop him, I'm in. I don't care." He paused noticing that Kim had begun to cry again. "I'm sorry Kim. I-I didn't mean to blow up on you like that." He hugged her to him again, regretting what he'd said.  
  
"It's not that." She sighed, pulling away so she could look him in the eye. "It's the way you said what you said. I mean, I said that I wanted to put us aside for a while, and I still mean it, but.god even the thought, no the suggestion of losing you again, and to HIM for that matter.I'd give up, again. Tommy, if I lost you.I'd die."  
  
Tommy hugged her to him and placed a kiss a top her head. "I love you, but I have to stop him. Besides, what do we have to worry about, have I ever lost a fight?"  
  
"Tommy this is no time for jokes." Kim said glaring at him. "What do we do?" she sighed.  
  
"We? Kim, no, I won't risk him hurting you again."  
  
"I'm a big girl Tommy. I may not have taken very care of myself the first time around, but I learn from my mistakes. I've been training. When he wasn't looking, when he wasn't watching, I got a friend of mine to teach me some self defense moves. I'm ready." Kim began to pace the engine room. She felt at home in the dim light. She could hide, surprise her enemies, and survive. In the bright light of the world, she could be easily spotted. By darkness, sheer utter pitch-black darkness, she couldn't even see through, hitting air instead of flesh in an attack. But the dim lights gave her an advantage that she intended to exploit for all it was worth.  
  
Tommy sighed. He knew he couldn't win, that Kim was coming no matter what he said. It was either agree and have her come on good terms where he could keep an eye on her, or disagree and have her sneak off on bad terms, and that always led to trouble. He sighed again. "Fine. But you have to let me handle it. Your time will come with him, I promise. Don't rush it." He said crossing his arms over his chest.  
  
Kim turned to him with a funny look on her face. "What?" he frowned.  
  
"You, are starting to sound like Zordon." She smirked.  
  
"I'll take that as a compliment," Tommy chuckled, "thank you."  
  
"Take it however you want, you still sound like him."  
  
"It's true you know." Tommy said, breaking the humorous moment. Kim's smile faded, replaced by a frown of curiosity.  
  
"What?"  
  
"What I said. Don't chase him." Tommy said again.  
  
Kim looked down. "Yea, I know.Zordon." she tried to suppress the grin that came with her mentors name passing her lips.  
  
"Hey!" Tommy warned playfully.  
  
"Come on, let's get through the rest of the ship, then we can get something to eat at this thing called the synthetron." Kim smiled, taking his arm and leading him out of the engine room and down the hall.  
  
"Why don't we go to the Youth Center?" Tommy suggested.  
  
"It's called the Surf Spot now." Kim corrected.  
  
"Are we that old?"  
  
"Come on!" Kim smiled dragging him towards the bridge to teleport.  
  
***  
  
"They're really something aren't they?" Ashley smiled.  
  
"Who?" Andros sighed as he put his arm around her. The two sat in the park in Angel Grove. The rangers had all decided that it was time for a break. They'd all been working hard lately, so a trip to Earth was in order for all parties.  
  
"Kim and Tommy. They've been through so much, but it's still so obvious that they're so much in love. I admire them." She said, resting her head on his shoulder.  
  
"Yeah, me too." He began absently stroking her arm with his thumb as he looked thoughtfully into the distance. "There's more to come though. Kim has to get over what happened, and that is going to be very hard."  
  
"They'll make it, that's a guarantee." Ashley said assuredly. "Andros? Do you think that we'll have that kind of love one day?" she asked softly, pulling away to look into his eyes.  
  
Andros smiled. "I don't know about you.. but I think we already do."  
  
Ashley let out a breath and kissed him. "I love you," she smiled, caressing his face with her hand. "So much."  
  
"I love you too." He said, running a hand through her hair.  
  
***  
  
"Wow, this place has changed. I don't even recognize it anymore!" Kim said as the two entered their old hangout. As they looked around they saw that the only thing that hadn't changed was that the counter, the steps, and the doors were all in the same place. Now there were pool tables where Tommy used to run his classes with Jason, surfboards on the walls, it was all so.. Hawaiian. They looked around for familiar faces, not expecting to find any, but were greeted with many. T.J., Cassie, and Carlos were sitting at the usual 'ranger table,' Kat and Zhane were playing pool looking very close, and two people they hadn't seen in ages, Bulk and Skull, were sitting at a table bickering innocently, as usual. Kim smiled and pulled Tommy over to the two.  
  
"Hey guys, long time no see." Tommy smiled.  
  
Bulk and Skull turned to see whom the voices belonged to and were stunned silent at their discovery. Kim frowned when they didn't pull out of it after a few moments and waved her hand in front of their faces.  
  
"Guys?" she said.  
  
"H..hi." Bulk finally stammered out. Kim smiled, looked at Tommy and they left the two sitting in silence as they went to sit with the rangers.  
  
"I take it they haven't seen you in a while." T.J. laughed as he the two sat down. He looked over at Bulk and Skull, still staring at where Kim and Tommy had stood.  
  
"It's been too long." Kim smiled. A familiar tone from T.J.'s wrist rang out, and the group excused themselves to answer it. "I miss that." Kim sighed wistfully once they were gone. "Going off on missions that millions of people know about, but they don't that it's you going and risking your life for them. A bunch of teenagers.."  
  
"Well put." Tommy grinned, earning a look from Kim.  
  
"You know what I mean." she frowned.  
  
"Yes I do..and me too." He added.  
  
T.J. approached the to while the others hung back in the hall. "Nothing serious, but D.E.C.A. wants us to run some essential tests that can't wait. There's been problems like this all week. We'll catch up with you guys later?" Kim and Tommy nodded, and T.J. smiled, signaled Kat and Zhane to come with, and left with a "See ya later." as he went.  
  
Once they had all teleported out, Kim turned to Tommy. "So, now what?" she sighed.  
  
"Why don't we go for a walk?" Tommy smiled. Kim smiled and was about to answer when her face suddenly went pale as she stared in the direction of the door. Tommy frowned.  
  
"Kim? Kim, what's wrong?" he asked worriedly as he followed her gaze. His expression did not pale, but stiffened. "Brad." He growled.  
  
Brad suddenly spotted the two on looker and smiled. He began to move towards them, and as he did so, Kim's breathing became labored. Tommy, not wanted to fight inside the Surf Spot, quickly got Kim up and out the opposite door, taking the back door they used to use for speedy exits. Brad slowly followed and his smile broadened.  
  
"Cat and mouse.. my favourite." He smiled wickedly.  
  
Outside Tommy led a very shaky Kimberly towards the side of the building, near the entrance.  
  
"We'll teleport back to the ship." He said, reaching for his wrist. There were some spares on the Astro Meagship in case of malfunctions.  
  
"No." Kim breathed in protest. "Tommy, this is my time, I have to face him, alone."  
  
"What? Kim, no-''  
  
"Tommy please! You can help me if I'm in trouble, but please let me do this.please." she begged. Tommy sighed and nodded hesitantly against all of his better judgment. Kim sighed and smiled at him, leaning up to kiss him quickly. "I love you. I know that now. Forever and always." With that she walked back towards the back parking lot where Brad was waiting patiently in the middle. He smirked as she approached. Tommy peeked his head around the corner; Kim had his back to her, hiding most of Brad.  
  
*Dammit, I don't like this, he could try something.* Tommy lamented as he watched.  
  
"Hello my love. I told you I'd find you." Brad grinned. "So, that's Tommy boy, huh? Cute."  
  
"What do you want." Kim demanded. "You have no right to be here."  
  
"Courageous Kimberly. Oo, I'm scared. " He mocked her. "Don't get all noble on me Kimberly, I own you." He closed the space between them, now mere inches from her face.  
  
"You own nothing and no one, especially not me." She spat.  
  
Brad smiled even more. "We'll see." He said, his voice dripping with a deadly sweetness.  
  
Kim frowned. "Remember when I told you I'd been a magician's apprentice in high school? Well, it was an illusionist, master of doing things to people before they even realize it.. Check your wrists lately?" Kim looked down to find that Brad had gotten a pair of handcuffs on her. As she examined her wrists in horror, she turned to see Tommy running to her. Then she felt a prick in the back of her neck, and the world went black.  
  
"Hold it right there lover boy!" Brad yelled, and Tommy stopped dead in his tracks. He had injected some kind of fast acting sedative into her after slipping the cuffs on. Now, he held a gun to her unconscious head. Tommy was helpless as Brad dragged Kim's body to his car. He put her in the front seat and then turned the gun on Tommy. "Get your friends to teleport her out, and you'll be getting a corpse with a bullet to the head." He slid into the car and started it. Reversed at full speed and drove away. Tommy tried to run after the car, but Brad held the gun out the window for a moment, then visibly pointed it towards Kim as he pulled it back in. Tommy gave up the pursuit, and collapsed on to the sidewalk.  
  
"No.." he breathed. "Kim."  
  
Author's note:  
  
What do you think? Was the handcuff thing dumb? Believe me it was dumber in the first draft. And for some reason my dot dot dot (.) thing's aren't working. Well didn't work on the last chapter, but sorry about that. Anyway, we're almost on the 's' section of the story book/phone book. What do you think?????????? Sorry for the late updates, I've been cleaning my room, can you believe it? I'm actually cleaning my room, which hasn't been thoroughly cleaned like this since like grade two. hmm, that's a pretty picture I'm a pack rat what can I say? Hey but I did find my complete set of Might Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie cards. Neat! Did they put out a Turbo set??? Anyway, I digress. 


	16. Decisions

Disclaimer: I'm sorry, I am really getting sick of this, I DON'T OWN THEM, OKAY!!! *sigh* I'm better now. Glad we got that all cleared up then.  
  
"What do you mean he just took her? How?" cried Andros. Tommy was attempting to tell them about Kim, but they kept interrupting him with disbelief. Tommy sighed, and tried again.  
  
"I couldn't really see what he was doing. Kim had her back to me and was standing in front of him, but he somehow slipped handcuffs on her, and when she turned around to me, he injected some sedative into her. I tried to get to her, but he pulled a gun on her, and drove away. He said if we tried to teleport her, he'd...he'd.." Tommy sighed and looked at them. Their shocked expressions told him they understood what he couldn't say. "Guys...he knows." He added.  
  
There was a brief silence among them, their faces going from curiosity and puzzlement, to comprehension and shock. "You mean, he knows who we are..?" Cassie said uneasily. Tommy nodded, confirming what they all inwardly hoped was not true.  
  
"How!?" Ashley said shaking her head.  
  
"Rangers," D.E.C.A. interrupted, "since he is a human foe, who knows who you are and intends to use it against you, he must be eliminated."  
  
"What!" cried Andros.  
  
"I like the sound of that." Tommy mumbled, clenching his fists.  
  
"If he attacks you first, then it is mere self defense, otherwise it is murder. But I would have suggested a memory sweep." D.E.C.A. said.  
  
"Memory sweep?" Carlos frowned.  
  
"We wipe the memory of our identities from his mind. It's a very delicate procedure, but we can't kill him, he's human." Andros stated.  
  
"But he's already attacked us as any other alien foe would, he's taken one of our own!" Tommy cried. "Only I believe that humans tend to be a bit more sick and meticulous in their planning. Who knows what he could do to her. Zedd, Rita, they all just wanted our powers gone, us ending up dead would just have complicated their operation by sicking the military on them. This guy, he's out on a personal vendetta against Kim and me. He's not after anything but revenge, and who knows what he'll do to get it."  
  
"I agree. We can't just sit here and let him decide the next move." Kat said firmly.  
  
"We cannot put Kimberly's safety in jeopardy. To do so would most likely get her killed, and on top of that we do not know where she is." D.E.C.A. said.  
  
Andros frowned. "What. I thought you would have found them by now."  
  
"By the time the news arrived in my database, and I began searching, he had already moved into a secure location beyond my sensor location capabilities, whether it be knowingly or unknowingly." D.E.C.A. said. "But it is up to you rangers."  
  
"D.E.C.A.'s right." Andros sighed.  
  
"What! We have to do something! He'll kill her!" Tommy protested.  
  
"Tommy, I'm not saying that we do nothing. But we have to wait for some kind of message; we have nothing to go on. We don't even know where to look. We'd be wasting our resources. I know his type. He'll send us a message. Kimberly still has her communicator, correct?" Andros said.  
  
Tommy sighed and sat down heavily in a near by bridge chair. "Yes. You're right. As much as I am completely against it, for Kim's sake, I'll go with it." He said crossing his arms over his chest. Kat moved to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"We'll get her back. I know it." She smiled. Tommy looked and her, and smiled briefly before looking away sadly.  
  
"There is one way then." Andros said, moving to a near by console. "We can patch into her communicator signal, hopefully we can still get the signal through the difficulties D.E.C.A. had." He said as he began pushing various buttons.  
  
***  
  
"Come on Kimmie. Show me how to contact your pals." Brad said menacingly as he circled Kim, who was tied to a chair. They were in an abandoned warehouse in the run down district of Angel Grove. Brad's words echoed off the old walls in the back offices he had brought her to.  
  
Kim sat there and merely eyed him angrily as he passed in front of her before returning her gaze to examining the cracks on the wall in front of her. Brad sighed. "Don't get me started Kimmie. I could go all night, but that would lead to anger, anger would lead to me killing you a bit too soon. Then poor Tommy-boy would get the corpse of his only love ahead of schedule, and that would ruin all of my fun." He taunted her.  
  
"Then why should I even give it to you if you're so confident Tommy is going to find me, and the fact that you're going to kill me anyway." Kim spat.  
  
"Because," he snarled moving mere inches from her face, " that's half the fun." He pushed off the chair and began pacing the room. "You show me how to contact them, they come looking for you, and find you seconds too late with a bullet to the head. Then I kill your ranger pals, leaving good ol' 'Tom' in pure agony the rest of his miserable life." He smirked.  
  
"You're insane." Kim said lowly. "Tommy will hunt you down, kill you, then mount you on his wall."  
  
"Quite the optimist, aren't we Kimmie?" he said. "You know you're going to die, yet you still make threats. I like this game, and you my darling, are tempting me to keep you alive for the entertainment!"  
  
"You are sick." She said glaring at him.  
  
"Even so..I still win." He grinned. A single beep pierced the air, and Brad's eyes narrowed at the sound. He moved around behind Kim, finding the source of the noise to be the strange looking watch on her wrist. He grabbed it off her and grinned.  
  
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" he smiled, waving it in front of her face.  
  
"Give that back!" she yelled, trying to break free from the ropes that held her.  
  
"Oo, important is it? Not just your everyday wrist watch. Hmm, one that doesn't even show the time, interesting. This is how you contact your pals isn't it?" Kim just looked at him. "Tell me." He said, the smile fading from his face.  
  
"Yes." Kim said.  
  
Brad smiled and looked at the communicator he held. "Which button?" he said, glancing sideways at her. Kim stared at him for a moment, then looked away defiantly. Brad backhanded her with a crack, causing Kim to scream. "Which button." He said again.  
  
"..Right..." Kim said, desperately trying to keep her emotions under control.  
  
"Very good Beautiful." He grinned.  
  
"Don't you dare call me that." Kim said angrily.  
  
"So," Brad continued, ignoring her, "left is for that nifty trick you guys do..teleporting right? And left is for communicating. Okay..Rangers? I'm guessing you've been listening in. I want Tommy. He had, and has the woman I love in his affectionate favour, and therefore must be punished, and watch her be punished for betrayal. You all are welcome to watch, but try to interfere, and Kimmie here dies right before your very eyes." He paused. Hearing no sounds of objection, he continued. "Good, meet me at the old warehouse on Ancan Street tonight at seven. Be there or bye-bye Beautiful. And listen in again, and she's gone." He cut the communication and grinned at Kimberly.  
  
"I hate you." She spat.  
  
"Ouch." He said mockingly, putting a hand to his heart. "Hit me where it hurts."  
  
***  
  
"I'm going alone."  
  
"Tommy you can't, you'll be killed!" said Kat getting up.  
  
"It's me he wants, you heard him, he's going to kill anyone that comes with me. I'm going alone." Tommy said firmly. "And thank you for the vote of confidence." He added bitterly.  
  
"Tommy, I didn't mean it like that and you know it. He's obviously insane, so we don't know what he's capable of, if he's some kind of computer genius with the place rigged, and weapons expert, or a professional trapper, or worse-''  
  
"Kat, thank you for your concern but I am not going to risk anyone's life but my own!" He yelled.  
  
"That is my choice to make, it would be my life to risk..For god's sake Tommy, she's my friend!" that brought an understanding silence to Tommy, after all, she was the woman he loved. "Just... at least let me come. Even if I can't help you with the out right fight, because I agree with you about him just wanting you. But I may be more useful in the background. Get her out while you're fighting with Brad. Please. You are not the only one who wants revenge here." She said, softer now that she had his attention.  
  
Tommy pondered it momentarily. "No. It's too dangerous. I don't-''  
  
"Want to be worrying about me too. I'm a big girl Tommy; the battles I went through as a ranger were not the toughest ones I've faced. I can sure as hell take down this prick if it means saving ones of my friends. No worrying attached, take it or leave it." She said firmly. After a moment of silence, she sighed and walked away. Tommy let out a breath and left in the other direction. The other rangers stood stunned in their wake. Andros sighed uneasily.  
  
"This is getting way out hand. Cassie, Ashley, you talk to Kat, and meet me, the guys, and Tommy in the simudeck as soon as you can. Carlos, T.J., Zhane, you're with me." As Andros finished, everyone moved to follow their targets.  
  
***  
  
"He can be so arrogant sometimes! It pisses me off!!" Kat said angrily as she paced her quarters. The chime on the door sounded, followed by a voice.  
  
"Kat? Can we talk to you?" Ashley asked from the hall.  
  
Kat sighed, opened the door for them and then flopped down in a nearby chair and crossed her arms. The two girls entered and exchanged a look with one another. Ashley sat across from Kat while Cassie chose to stand.  
  
"Okay, we'll talk you listen. Tommy is just worried, really worried, about Kim." Ashley began.  
  
"He wants nothing more than for her to be safe, and he wants to do that without losing anyone else." Cassie continued.  
  
"Without losing you." Ashley finished.  
  
Kat sighed again, her angry expression shifting to one of exasperation. "I understand that, but I just hate it when he thinks that he has to do it himself. He refuses help, where anyone can see that he needs it most." She said softly.  
  
"Would you be willing to work it out with him?" Ashley asked.  
  
"The more time we spend mad at each other, the longer Kim's life is danger." Kat said, getting up from her chair. Cassie and Ashley smiled, and they all headed out and to the simudeck.  
  
***  
  
Carlos, Andros, T.J, and Zhane found Tommy working out in the ships weight room. He was punching the mounted bag in the corner with such fury that the four were almost afraid to approach.  
  
"Tommy? Could we speak to you for a moment?" Zhane asked as they moved over to him. Tommy looked over at them briefly, and stopped hitting the punching bag, then merely stood there staring at them, clearly on the defensive.  
  
"Okay, well. Um, we know that you're worried about Kim, and the last thing that any of us want is to put another life on the line..but you know that she's going to go no matter what you say. We both know that." Zhane said. Tommy sighed and visibly relaxed.  
  
"I know. That's what I'm worried about." He said.  
  
"Tommy, if this were just a matter of her wanting to help, I would probably agree with you..But, Brad has picked a location that we can't teleport in or out of within the walls. Which means..."  
  
"Kat has to go." Tommy frowned. "I...just don't want her to get hurt. I already failed in protecting Kim.."  
  
Zhane smiled understandingly and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Tommy, don't beat yourself up. We'll get her back. Would you be willing to work things out with Kat now?"  
  
Tommy sighed and nodded. The others let out a sigh of relief, and the five of them made their way to the simudeck.  
  
***  
  
"Finally, we were about to-...what's wrong?" Cassie said seeing the grim looks that accompanied their friends faces.  
  
"Brad's in a place we can't teleport in or out of." Tommy stated angrily.  
  
"You're going to need to go now Kat." T.J. said.  
  
Kat walked up to Tommy, biting her lip nervously as she stood before him. "Look Kat," Tommy began.  
  
"I'm sorry too." Kat said hurriedly. Tommy looked at her and smiled gently.  
  
"So, we're cool?" he asked.  
  
Kat smiled and hugged him. "Always. Now," she sighed pulling back, "let's go and get our friend back." She and Tommy smiled at one another and turned to the door.  
  
"Hold on guys." Andros said as he stepped in front of them. "Have you ever been to this warehouse?" Kat and Tommy looked at each other, then back at Andros, collectively shaking their heads. "That's what I thought. That's why we're in here. We may not be able to teleport in or out, but we have the buildings interior structure on file so you can take a look around before you go rushing in."  
  
"Once D.E.C.A. discovered that we couldn't teleport, she hacked into the city files and copied the buildings layout." Carlos smiled.  
  
Tommy and Kat frowned in curiosity. "You've got an hour before you have to be there. We'll leave you alone to look around." T.J. said as they moved to leave. Tommy and Kat just stood there, still not understanding what was going on.  
  
"D.E.C.A. activate the warehouse simulation." Zhane said as he left, throwing Kat a grin and a good luck kiss as he left. The two clueless rangers turned around to find the interior of the warehouse before them, beginning about half way across the room, but deep enough to go on for at least a mile. They quickly got over their amazement, however, and began examining the battlegrounds. They discussed possible surprise points Brad could use against them, where he may be holding Kim, where they could surprise him. After half an hour they decided that they knew the building well enough to move on to training a bit for the fight to come. They moved into the weight room where there were practice mats laid out. The other rangers helped, splitting into two groups to spar with each former ranger. D.E.C.A. alerted them when it was ten minutes to seven, and Tommy and Kat excused themselves to change quickly, borrowing clothes from the others. They all met on the bridge at five minutes to seven. Zhane moved shyly over to Kat as she entered, stopping her before she encountered the others.  
  
"Be careful, okay? Come back to me." He smiled. Kat returned the smile and kissed him quickly.  
  
"I promise, on both counts." She said. The two moved over to the others, as Tommy entered.  
  
"Ready Kat?" he asked.  
  
"When you are." She nodded, shifting the bag on her back so that she could maneuver herself easier when they landed.  
  
"Good. Let's get the bastard." Tommy said firmly.  
  
***  
  
Author's note: What do ya think??? There's a lovely twist coming up in the next chapter. I'll give ya a teaser line, just for fun. I'm starting to sound like Brad...I'm getting too into this story.  
  
Teaser Line:  
"At least I can say that I took out a Power Ranger!!!!" 


	17. The Waiting Game

Disclaimer: Blah blah blah, you know the drill. I stake no claim on the rangers. Who knew!  
  
"Your friends will be here soon, Beautiful." Brad smiled as he leaned over her shoulder. Kimberly's head was slumped forward in pain. Brad had beaten her when she had refused to tell him anything about the Power Rangers. Her wrists stung from rubbing against the rope that held her when had tried to fight back, and her shirt was stained with the blood that had dripped from her wounds. Brad frowned when she didn't respond, and briskly moved in front of her, yanking her chin up as he did so.  
  
"So witty comebacks? I'm disappointed!" he grinned.  
  
"Go to hell. Happy?" Kim spat deliriously.  
  
Brad frowned again and backhanded her, his strike echoing with a sickening crack. Kim yelped in pain, and some blood spattered on to the floor from and old wound that had just been re-opened. Brad raised his hand to strike her again, when a noise stopped him. He heard the front door sliding open, its noise echoing throughout the empty building. He smiled and walked over to the table in the corner, picking up a syringe.  
  
"Showtime." He grinned as he tested the needle. Satisfied he jabbed it into Kim's arm, causing her to gasp in pain.  
  
"What was that for." She said weakly.  
  
"It's a weaker dosage of the sedative I gave you earlier. You're on Kimmie!"  
  
***  
  
"I think he knows we're here, the way that door opened." Kat frowned.  
  
"Yeah. You'd better get up there before he gets here." Tommy said. Kat nodded and moved to the ladder towards the back wall.  
  
"Too late!!!" a voice yelled. Tommy looked around frantically, and immediately fell into a fighting stance as the buzz of a machine filled the room. What he saw next horrified him. Kimberly was coming towards him, hanging by the handcuffs around her wrists on an old meat hook attached to the machine. The warehouse had been an old meat factory that was shut down ten years earlier because of health regulations, yet someone had forgotten to shut down the power to it. Kim was unconscious, but Tommy saw the shape she was in from what Brad had done to her. His expression went from horror, to pure rage. The line suddenly stopped, and Kim's tired body fell loose from the hook to the floor. Tommy was about to run to her, when Brad appeared from the shadows.  
  
"What's the matter Tommy boy, not enjoying the show?" he grinned evilly.  
  
"You bastard," Tommy growled. "I'm going to rip you apart with my bare hands!" he finished, and was about to charge Brad, when his target pulled a gun and pointed it at Kimberly. Tommy recognized it as the same gun he had threatened her with in the quest, and wondered if he even knew how to use the thing.  
  
"Hold it." He smiled. "I just seem to have to keep needing this thing. I hate weapons you know. Cowards way out I think. But they make a hell of a bargaining chip when it comes to hostages. Wits and your fists are the only weapons you need I think. Oh well, see that big hunk of metal hanging up there?" he gestured with his eyes towards the ceiling. Tommy looked above them to find one of the old chopping tables suspended near the second floor. Tommy frowned wondering how the hell he got it up there, then noticed a fork lift with a construction elevator attached to it in the corner. "Well," Brad continued, "it's rigged with explosives, c4 to be exact. The timer on it is set for five minutes, and when that time runs out, the c4 ignites, blowing the rope away with it, and then bye-bye Beautiful....Unless, you can get to her in time. If not then once she's dead, I'll kill you and you die knowing you couldn't save her." He held up a small controller with a single red button on it. "Shall we begin?" he grinned.  
  
"Why not, you'll blow yourself up anyway if that really is c4 you've got up there." Tommy retorted.  
  
"Tommy, I'm disappointed. I thought you rangers would be smarter than that. I only used enough to blow the rope and anything within three feet of the detonation point. Which means that if your kitty kat is trying to defuse it, she should be right about-'' Brad paused and turned to the second floor balcony and fired. A scream followed. "There." Brad smiled.  
  
"Kat!" Tommy cried.  
  
"Oh, don't worry Tommy," Brad mocked. "I didn't kill the kitten. I only hit her leg, I think, I may have been slightly off today and hit her stomach." He said nonchalantly. "But bringing a friend," he shook his head, clicking his tongue in distaste. "That's gonna cost ya'." He turned to Kim now, and fired the gun again, hitting her in the thigh. Her unconscious form instinctively cried out in pain. "The unconscious mind, it amazes me. It can feel and react to pain, even when the body is out cold." He sighed again and pushed the red button on the controller in his hand.  
  
Tommy , who had been frozen in shock, now cried out and charged him. "Finally some action!" Brad laughed, dodging the angry fist that came towards his face. "I was in the army Tommy-boy! My senses were trained to be honed in battle, so you're going to need more than anger and your silly little kung fu to beat me. I thought Power Rangers were supposed to be strong!" he laughed, dodging hit after angry misplaced hit.  
  
"Who said I was a ranger?" Tommy grinned.  
  
"It's just that if you were, it'll be more fun when I kill you. At least I can say that I took out a Power Ranger! And had a lot of fun doing it too!"  
  
Up on the balcony, Kat was beginning to regain consciousness. She'd blacked out when an enormous pain had exploded from her leg. She looked down, discovering a shot wound in her lower calf. She'd been trying to reach for the bomb's fuse that was attached to the top of the table, with no success. Now she couldn't even move her leg, much less stand on it. She heard Brad laughing from the lower floor and moved to look over the railing. He yelled something at Tommy, but she was still a bit too groggy to hear. Tommy retaliated then attacked, and Brad dodged it easily. Kat could see that Tommy was blinded with rage and was not thinking about the strikes he made. She looked over at Kim's body on the floor, and noticed a growing pool of blood around her legs. She frowned and knew that she had to do something, now. The timer on the bomb was down to two minutes. She removed the bag from her back and unzipped it, pulling out a gun she'd teleported it up before they left.  
  
*I told Tommy that I'd seen worse battles.* She'd kept it in her house ever since some pervert broke in and tried to rape her. She never told anyone, but that was the real reason that she and her family had moved to Angel Grove. Her parents didn't know that she'd gotten the gun; of course she'd been careful and gotten it through a friend back home, who had connections. Now though, she needed it to take out another pervert. One who had beat, drugged, and kidnapped one of her best friends. It was payback time. She propped herself up on her elbow, and waited for the perfect shot.  
  
Tommy was beginning to make some hits. Nothing damaging, but there were some shots that did connect. They, however, only made Brad giddier, as he took them like they were taps on the shoulder. Brad surprised Tommy by suddenly taking a swing at him, the shot connecting solidly to Tommy's jaw and he fell backwards, landing near Kimberly.  
  
"Looks like I win, Tommy-boy. I beat a Power Ranger! I just want you to know...it was easy. Any last words?" Brad smiled as he cocked his gun. Tommy flinched, hearing another noticeable click a spilt second before Brad had set his weapon. Surprising as it was to him, he knew exactly what it was, and smiled back at the beast before him.  
  
"Yeah actually....Bang." Brad frowned at the word, before a shot pierced the air. Tommy's eyes automatically shut in fear of his own mortality coming to an end, but a moment later, when he noticed his heart was still beating, he opened his eyes and found Brad's body on the floor staring blankly at the ceiling as a circle of crimson began to form on his chest. Tommy rose and grabbed the gun, just in case, and turned to look at where Kat was, but she was gone.  
  
"Tommy, the bomb! Get Kim out of there!" Her voice called as he heard her clambering down the iron stairs. Tommy tensed and ran towards Kim. He scooped her up as a bang echoed from above him, and jumped forward with all of his energy and strength. Kim's involuntary dead weight proved more of a problem than he'd hoped, and he took one step forward in hopes of getting farther away. As they landed, Tommy instinctively covered Kimberly, human shield style, as a booming crash resounded from behind them. Tommy waited for a few seconds before looking up. The table that had hung from the ceiling now lay as a crumpled piece of metal on the warehouse floor. Kat limped over, wincing as she stepped and called to him.  
  
"Are you alright!" Tommy cried looking over at her. She waved him off.  
  
"I'll be fine, minor wound, I may possibly be going into shock very soon, but is Kim okay?" she said in a hurry. Tommy turned to his love and checked for a pulse.  
  
"Kim..." He ventured, hoping for any kind of response. When nothing came, he jumped up and scooped her up again, and turned to Kat. "Can you walk?" he asked.  
  
"Yes. Get back to the ship. They won't ask as many questions as a hospital would. You go ahead, I'll stay with him." She said, gesturing towards Brad's body.  
  
"Kat, you have to get your leg treated, I'm not leaving you here."  
  
"And I'm not coming with you. You can't carry us both." She stated. "I..I just want to be sure it's over. Send someone down for me, who can carry him outside for transport. Now, go! Kim may be dying." Tommy hesitated for a moment, and then ran for the door. Kat turned back to Brad's lifeless body and sighed as she sank to the ground to get the weight off her leg. "You better be dead." She muttered, cocking her gun, just in case.  
  
***  
  
Tommy appeared with Kim in his arms, and found the rangers ready for him. Zhane took Kimberly and headed for the infirmary while Cassie took Tommy to a near by chair to check him. The others followed Zhane and were gone in a second.  
  
"Forget me. Kat's still down there and she's hurt. She needs someone who can get Brad back up here." Tommy said, pushing her hand away.  
  
"Are you crazy!? We're not letting that psychopath on the ship!" Cassie cried.  
  
"His body..he's dead." Tommy stated. Cassie looked at him for a moment in shock before nodding in understanding.  
  
"Andros can do it. He's telekinetic. Besides, Kim'll need all the help she can get." She said rising. "Andros, switch with me, Tommy'll explain." She said over the com system.  
  
"On my way." Andros acknowledged. Cassie walked briskly out of the bridge, and a few seconds later, she was replaced by Andros' presence.  
  
"Your jaw." He said, immediately noticing the fresh bruise forming on Tommy's face.  
  
"That's not what you're here for." Tommy sighed.  
  
***  
  
"Hey Kat, how are you feeling?" Tommy asked, stepping into Kat's quarters.  
  
She smiled and sat up slightly. "Not bad. Cassie came to see me about twenty minutes ago, and said that I'd be up and about in a couple of days. After the skin grows back enough for me to put weight on it without re- opening it. I have to move into the infirmary for an official check-up later, when they're done. How'd Kim do?" she asked.  
  
Tommy sighed. "They haven't told me anything yet. Cassie told me to come see you when she came back, because they wouldn't be done for another while."  
  
"I'm sorry." Kat frowned.  
  
"Well, she's worth the wait...I just hope she's okay." he said glumly. Just then, the door opened, and Cassie stepped in, pushing an empty wheelchair in front of her.  
  
"We're ready for you." She said, smiling at Kat. Tommy blocked her path as soon as she was in the door.  
  
"How is she, is she okay?" he asked hurriedly.  
  
"Whoa, hold on a sec." She said putting her hands up. Kat tried to hide a smile as she sat up.  
  
*Humor. That's means she's okay.* Kat sighed inwardly.  
  
"Okay. D.E.C.A. guided us through it, but she'll be just fine." Cassie announced. Tommy let out a breath of relief and smiled nervously. "But." Cassie added, causing Tommy to tense again. "There's going to be a lot of recuperating to do, and she'll need your help. There's some minor cuts that will be closed in a couple of days, a broken arm, a fractured collar bone, the wound in her leg has been stitched, but she's got some ripped muscle where the bullet penetrated. We got it out though, and it missed the bone thankfully. Because of the fact that she was a ranger, she still has some of the fast healing abilities the powers provided her with. So that means that all of this recuperating will take about a month and a half. We want to get her walking as soon as possible because of the beatings she took. Kat, because your injuries aren't as extensive, you'll be confined to bed, doctor's orders, for at least a week, but we'll give you crutches in a couple of days once that wound closes a bit, which with your regenerative abilities from the powers, should take about a day and half because it's not a serious wound. The way you were standing when the bullet hit you, it went clean through the back of your lower calf. That's why I sent you here first after we dressed it, you didn't an operation.... As for Kim, she's asleep right now. After the anesthetics wear off in about two or three hours, she'll wake up, but she's got a concussion, so we can't let her sleep for more than four hours at a time, and that's with someone monitoring her vitals while she sleeps. I'd get D.E.C.A. to do it, but she can't jump in and help like we can, being a computer and all. She needs lots of rest though, and I take it you want the first shift." Cassie smiled at Tommy.  
  
"How long?" he asked.  
  
"Well, after she wakes up, about twelve hours, then someone will take over for you. But until then, I suggest you get some rest, and we'll call you when she's awake." Cassie said.  
  
"Can't I see her?" Tommy frowned.  
  
"I wouldn't recommend it. I mean, you need to rest so that you can be there for her on the first watch. Okay?" Cassie said firmly. Tommy nodded in involuntary agreement.  
  
"What about Brad?" Kat asked.  
  
"Well, he's definitely dead. We triple checked. You're a sharp shot Kat, got him right in the heart. His body's...on ice I guess is the only way to put it, until we can figure out what to do with him. That reminds me, Tommy, when Kim wakes up will you ask her if Brad had any family. Any one we should be concerned about when they discover he's missing?" Cassie said turning to Tommy, who frowned.  
  
"Is that really necessary? I mean, couldn't it wait for a while."  
  
"He's right. Kim's been through a lot, couldn't D.E.C.A. just check or something?" Kat asked.  
  
"D.E.C.A. isn't...I mean..that's not her job! She would have to trace down his origins from scratch. That would be like, trying to draw out somebody's family tree who you just met on the street. Asking Kim is better." Cassie said firmly.  
  
"I understand, but can it wait?" Tommy sighed.  
  
"No. If he does have family, or friends in the area, or at all, they may already be searching for him, which means that they're searching for Kim too, and that would call the alibi we put in place for her before the quest into question." Cassie stated.  
  
Tommy was silent for a moment before nodding his head. "I agree. I just wish it could wait." He said.  
  
'Well, it can't. I'm sorry. Kat, let's go. Tommy, get some rest, we'll alert you in a couple of hours." Cassie said, moving the wheelchair over to the side of Kat's bed. Kat maneuvered herself in and the two left. Tommy sighed exasperatedly and sat down on the couch, putting his head in his hands.  
  
*** "Zhane, help me lift her to the bed." Andros said, nodding to the bed in the corner. Zhane nodded and the two focused on Kim's unconscious form. After a moment, she rose off the bed horizontally and floated gracefully over to her sleeping quarters. The two telekinetic men placed her gently on the soft mattress. When she was down, Ashley and Carlos moved to hook up the necessary machines, starting with the heart monitor.  
  
"Why do we need that, D.E.C.A. will be monitoring her condition." Zhane frowned.  
  
"It's a back-up, so we don't have to keep asking D.E.C.A. for updates every two minutes. Besides, D.E.C.A.'s got a lot to do on this ship, and while we don't doubt that she can do it all at once, we want to take every precaution. D.E.C.A. understands, right?" Ashley said.  
  
"Of course. Pride is secondary to human life." D.E.C.A. responded.  
  
"There," Carlos said straightening. "She should be awake in about three hours. I'm going to go and see how Cassie's doing with Kat." He said, moving to the door.  
  
"What happened to Kat?" Zhane asked worriedly.  
  
The rangers all looked at each other uncomfortably. Ashley sighed and stepped forward, casting an annoyed glace at her comrades. "She got shot in the leg." Ashley said.  
  
"What!?"  
  
"Nothing life threatening. In fact she should be fine in a few days, but she'll be using crutches for a while." Her voice trailed off, as Zhane bolted past her mid sentence. She sighed and turned to find the others trying to hide their laughter. "Oh hush, he's just concerned." She said crossing his arms.  
  
"I'm going to go and calm him down." Carlos said. "I doubt Cassie can handle both of them." He shook his head and chuckled as he left the room. Ashley turned back to Andros and looked over at Kim.  
  
"Will she be alright?" she said, her voice filled with concern.  
  
"Physically yes," began Andros, putting a comforting arm around her shoulder. "But mentally, and emotionally....it's going to take a while."  
  
***  
  
"Zhane I'm fine!" Kat yelled. Zhane was kneeling in front of the wheelchair, which he stooped in the middle of the hall, and was asking endless questions. Kat's yelling stopped him.  
  
"Are you sure?" he asked.  
  
"Zhane, we are going to the infirmary to get Kat checked out and into bed, and no you can't come, so unless you want her not be fine, move." Cassie said angrily.  
  
"Hey, I came to see if you needed any help." Carlos smiled as he walked up to the trio.  
  
"Yes!" They three said at once, causing Carlos to take a step back.  
  
"Tell her to let me come with them!" Zhane cried.  
  
"Tell him he needs to go away! Kat won't get any better with him just causing her more stress!" Cassie cried.  
  
Carlos watched helplessly as the two yelled at each other, while Kat, getting noticeably angry, sat between them.  
  
"ENOUGH!" Kat yelled, silencing the two immediately.  
  
"Carlos, please get Zhane out of here so I can get some rest, and Cassie can do her job. Zhane I will come and see you later! Now both of you STOP arguing! It is not my well-being that is at stake here, it's Kim's, who if you have forgotten, just thankfully won the fight for her life and is going top need all of our support once she wakes up. Tommy needs you to be strong for him too, and you're standing here yelling at each other." She paused shaking her head, and sighed. "Cassie, let's go."  
  
Zhane rose and moved so they could pass and Carlos stepped up beside him, and the two stared in awe as the girls rounded the corner. Cassie threw a 'so-there' smile back at Zhane as she went out of sight, and Zhane frowned and crossed his arms.  
  
"Is my work ever done?" Kat sighed exasperatedly.  
  
***  
  
"Hey Zhane!" Cassie called running into the mess hall.  
  
"What." Zhane said flatly.  
  
"Come on man," Cassie sighed taking a seat beside him, "don't be mad, I was just thinking of Kat's health, but she's right. We need to help Tommy and Kim get through this. What do you say....Friends?" she asked cautiously.  
  
Zhane sighed and looked at her. "Always." He smiled. Cassie grinned and threw an arm around his shoulder. "I'm not mad at you, though, I hope you know that. I'm just-''  
  
"Worried about Kat. I know man, I understand that. I forgive you for being a gushy little girl."  
  
"Hey!" Zhane cried pushing her off good-naturedly, then sighed again. "Do you think Kat's mad at me though?" he frowned.  
  
"Well, that's the thing about fights," Cassie said, "you get to make up." She grinned mischievously. Zhane smiled and nodded. "Besides, she was just tired. But still, it would be nice to do something for her."  
  
"Got it. Hey I gotta take care of something. I'll see you later?" Zhane said, rising. Before Cassie had a chance to answer, he was gone.  
  
"Sure!" she called after him.  
  
***  
  
Tommy couldn't sleep. His thoughts haunted him. He sat up and thought about the day's events. Kim had almost died because of him! He played the scene over and over again in his head, each time with a different scenario, and each time, he'd saved her the right way. He lay back again in frustration and closed his eyes. He just couldn't accept that there was nothing he could do now, no way to help her other than wait, and hope the rangers' efforts had worked, and that she'd be okay. He drifted off to sleep after a few minutes, still thinking about what he could have done differently.  
  
***  
  
"Tommy? You awake?" Andros ventured as he stepped into Kat's room.  
  
"Yeah man. I'm here." Tommy said getting out of bed. "What's up?" he said groggily.  
  
"Kim just woke up." Andros smiled, causing Tommy to wake up instantly. "She's asking for you."  
  
Author's note: what do you think? I don't know if I'm happy with this chapter. It's changed a lot from what I originally had. Well, not really, but enough for me to be slightly uneasy with it. Here's another teaser from the next chapter:  
  
"Hey Beautiful time to-'' Tommy began, opening his eyes... but the bed was empty. 


	18. Survival Skills

Disclaimer: They're not mine. Good? Good.  
  
Author's note: Thank you for all the reviews; they've made me feel a whole bunch better about my writing. Keep 'em comin they boost my ego! Kidding, I'm just glad to hear people like what I write. Thank you. Now, on with the show!!!!!  
  
Tommy rushed past Andros as he made his way to the infirmary, and when he was through the doors, his smile faded, and he looked over at Kimberly. She was covered in bumps and bruises and she had an oxygen tube hooked up to her nose, with an iv in her hand to dilute the drugs Brad had given her out of her system. He moved to the chair beside her bed, and took her hand in his. She opened her eyes and smiled at his touch, and Tommy noticed how tired she looked. He sighed, trying to get control over the tears that threatened to fall.  
  
"Hey," he smiled, leaning in closer, "it's good to see you awake."  
  
"It's good to be awake." Kim smiled weakly.  
  
"Do you remember what happened?" Tommy asked.  
  
"Most of it. The only part I really don't remember was just before you came. Brad put some kind of sedative into me..." she said distractedly. Tommy frowned at the pause, and was about to ask, when she continued. "But, I do remember the beatings and the cuffs digging into my wrists, Brad yelling at me.." she says shakily, tears welling up in her eyes.  
  
"Hey, don't do that to yourself. You can deal with all of that later. Right now, you have to concentrate on getting better so that you'll be strong enough to handle it." Tommy said.  
  
Kim sighed and smiled. "Yes Zordon." She said.  
  
Tommy smiled as Kim let her eyes close. She tried to pull them back open, to no avail. "It's okay, get some rest. I'll wake you up later." Tommy said, stroking her hair gently. Kim sighed sleepily and nodded absently as she turned her head to the side, and fell asleep. Tommy sat back in the chair, still holding her hand. "Three hours and counting. D.E.C.A., if I'm asleep when Kim needs to be woken up, can you wake me?"  
  
"I will set an alarm on the console to your right. It will sound when the intended amount of time has elapsed, and you can disarm it by pushing the lower left blue button." D.E.C.A. answered.  
  
"Thanks." Tommy said. He looked over at Kim and felt his eyelids growing heavy. He hadn't realized how tired he was as he drifted off to sleep.  
  
***  
  
Tommy awoke to a mild beeping and reached out blindly to his right, pushing the blue button. The alarm shut off and he rubbed his eyes.  
  
"Hey Beautiful time to-'' Tommy began, opening his eyes...but the bed was empty. He looked around frantically, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her huddled in the circular sill of the large window in the corner of the room, gazing out into the sea of stars. He rose and treaded over to her, touching her shoulder to get her attention. She jerked slightly, and winced in pain. This threw her off balance and Tommy caught her as she fell into him.  
  
"I am so sorry. Are you okay?" he asked worriedly as he set her back into place.  
  
"Yeah, yeah. I'll live. Finally awake?" she said, exhaling as she readjusted herself.  
  
"You shouldn't be out of bed, you need your rest." Tommy said, taking a seat on the remainder of the sill.  
  
"I was bored. Besides, it was an accomplishment walking across the room." Kim said matter-of-factly.  
  
"I'm glad you walked across the room, and I'm sorry that I wasn't there to see it, but what if your stitches had popped, huh? What if you just fell?" he said, mildly angry.  
  
"Then D.E.C.A. would wake you up and you'd help me back to bed and I'd eventually get re-stitched. You're missing the point here, big accomplishment???" Kim hinted as she shook her head.  
  
"An accomplishment that will have to wait until your body won't collapse from it. Come on, back to bed." He said getting up and putting his arms out. Kim rolled her eyes, but obeyed, throwing her good arm around his shoulder as he gingerly hooked her legs. She groaned lightly as he carried her over to her bed. Tommy placed her gently back onto the bed and she readjusted herself, and then leaned back into the soft pillows behind her.  
  
"Thanks." She sighed.  
  
"So," he smiled, taking his seat beside her again. "What got you up?"  
  
"I woke up and I saw you sleeping. You looked so cute and peaceful, that I didn't want to wake you. So I got up, and I forced myself to walk across the room. I wanted to get a look at those stars. From Earth, I mean they're nice, they're gorgeous, but up here, up close....I was in total awe, just drawn to them. They're peaceful, and calming, I just started thinking you know? Thinking about Brad, and the rangers...and ....and us." She ventured, looking sideways at him. Tommy's head jerked up at that.  
  
"Are....are you sure?" he asked cautiously. "I mean, are you ready?"  
  
"I've always been ready...I was just scared. I was sort of going through this whole denial phase, you know?" she smiled.  
  
"I understand. I went through the same thing when I lost my powers...four times to be exact." He laughed.  
  
"Me too," Kim smiled. "Once." She clarified.  
  
Tommy smiled and there was a brief uncomfortable silence between the two. "So," he began, "what have you been thinking?"  
  
"That....that I'm sorry." She said, looking down.  
  
"Sorry?" Tommy frowned. "For what?"  
  
"What do you mean for what! For leaving, for meeting Brad, for the letter, for not trying harder to get away, for causing you so much pain!" she cried.  
  
"None of that was your fault! You did your best; you and I both know that. Please, please, PLEASE, stop blaming yourself. I know I sound like a broken record, but none of it was your fault. When are you going to believe that!" he said exasperatedly.  
  
"When I KNOW it's TRUE! And I won't believe that until I know that I can stop running, that he's not chasing me anymore. Until I know that you're safe, and until I'm ready to believe it!" she said angrily, as she glared at him.  
  
There was a pause as Tommy let her breath through the serge of anger she felt. "Um, speaking of which...two questions. First, how did Brad know that we were rangers?"  
  
Kim looked over at him and sighed. "I was always showing him pictures of you guys, always talking about...all of you. I didn't know that it would make him obsessively curious at the time, but I came home one day and found him reading my diary. I was so angry at him, but when I questioned him about how he got in and why the hell he was reading my diary, my room mate came out of the bathroom and he tossed it aside. I figured she'd let him in, but I asked him about my diary again later. He said he found it open on my night stand, but I never leave it open, it has stuff about us and our identities in there. I always leave it locked up in my nightstand, and I'm the only one who has a key, which I'd lost two days before. I kept the key under my mattress, so I figured that it'd fallen on the floor under my bed, and I never got around to looking for it. I figured it was locked, no harm done; everyone keeps things locked in their nightstands. Then he started asking about the rangers, and if I'd ever seen them before, if I knew who they were. The questions caught me off guard, so I guess I acted peculiar, which I assume got him suspicious. Now I assume it anyway, then I just figured he was curious, star struck. He started throwing random questions at me about the rangers, but I never figured that he knew who we were! Then started calling me 'pinky,' saying that I always wore pink, just like the pink ranger. He said he'd figured that it would give me a link to home, being reminded of the rangers. I couldn't out right ask him if he knew, because then he'd really know. So I just hoped that he hadn't made the connection...." She sighed.  
  
"I do have to admit that we weren't really that careful. I mean we all became obsessed with our colours for some weird reason. He must've seen from the pictures that we always wore our the same colours as the rangers, all the time...Oh well, what's done is done." He said distractedly. "Anyways, we can worry about that later. My second question is more important."  
  
"What! Tommy! Brad knows who we are, what if he tells someone!" Kim cried.  
  
"Why does everyone assume that he made it out alive!" Tommy said, rolling his eyes. His eyes darted to Kim's face and immediately regretted blurting it out like that, as she stared at him in a shocked silence and wide teary eyes.  
  
"What are talking about!" she breathed.  
  
Tommy sighed. *Great job Oliver; just blurt it out like that. Real subtle. Okay, let's try to make it right.*  
  
"Did Brad have any family?" he asked after a moment.  
  
"Why? Tommy, what happened!" Kim said.  
  
"Just..just please. Did he have any family?" he said again.  
  
Kim shook her head. "No. He was an only child and his parents died when he was nineteen. He'd already moved out at that point, for college, so he was on his own. When they passed away, he left town, dropped out of school and pretty much disappeared off the face of the earth until he arrived on my doorstep just looking for a good time. Now what happened." She demanded.  
  
"Good." Tommy said, relieved. "Good. Um...W-while you were out, Brad walked in and we started fighting and-'' Tommy began.  
  
"Tommy, just the end." Kim said.  
  
"Right. Sorry. Um...Kat got shot in the leg-''  
  
"Is she alright?"  
  
"Yes, she'll be fine. She was in here for a bit while you were asleep, but Cassie let her stay in her own quarters cause she didn't want Zhane waking you up....He's been kinda obsessive over her." He nodded.  
  
"Understandable....Now, what else happened?" Kim asked.  
  
"Well, let's see where was I.... Right, Kat got shot in the leg, then you got shot in the leg, then me and Brad fought-''  
  
"Tommy...." Kim intervened, getting angry.  
  
"I'm getting there Beautiful, just listen." Tommy retorted, getting slightly irritated with her impatience. He sighed. "Sorry. I know this is big thing for you to hear it's just-''  
  
"Apologize later. Tell me what happened next!" Kim growled. Tommy drew back a bit, mildly scared of her temper.  
  
"Brad and I fought....then....then ...Kat shot Brad." He paused, and braced himself for an outburst of some kind, but Kim just stared at him, so he confirmed her hopeful gaze. "Brad is dead Kim. HE'S GONE." He said, emphasizing the last words in his statement.  
  
Kim just sat there, her breath coming out ragged as the words sank in. Tommy, who sat watching her, was getting worried.  
  
"Kim....Kim, say something. You're scaring me." Nothing. Kim was silent. "Come on. You can stop running now. He can't hurt you, or anyone else, anymore."  
  
Kim looked over at Tommy and then up at the ceiling, squeezing her eyes shut as she sighed shakily. She sighed again when she opened her eyes, and took a deep breath, bringing her hands up to her sides before placing them on the mattress. She pushed upward, trying to bring her upper body into a sitting position. Tommy hooked an arm around her waist, taking the pressure off her tired muscles as she pulled her legs closer on the bed. Once she had herself in a sitting position, she looked over at Tommy as he sat back again in his chair.  
  
"Are you alright?" Tommy asked, leaning forward.  
  
"Yeah, I mean. It's a lot, you know? I mean, I've been thinking for.....a long time, that this was all somehow my fault, that.... if I hadn't met Brad, hadn't kept meeting with him, that......that I'd still be normal. I'd still be strong....I'd still be with you. And I know that thinking like that won't change the past, and I couldn't have known that it was coming....but I just can't help thinking it you know? What if.....that's how I've survived Tommy. On what if's. What if I was in Angel Grove right now, what would I be doing...you guys....you were my lifeline. And now, after a very long time of holding on, of surviving, wondering what if, of running....he's stopped chasing me. I don't have to run anymore, I don't have to survive. I can live. But, you see....I forget how." She said, tears now streaming freely down her face. Tommy embraced her as she cried softly on his shoulder.  
  
"Hey," he said pulling back. "Don't worry, you'll remember. We'll do it together....if you want me that is." He said hesitantly, absently stroking her face as he spoke.  
  
Kim laughed briefly and took his face in her hands. "Always." She breathed. Tommy let out a breath of relief he hadn't realized he held. Gravity worked its magic and Tommy and Kim's faces drew closer to one another. For the first time since Kimberly had left for Florida almost three years ago, their lips met. The kiss was sweet, simple, and safe at first. They felt each other's apprehensiveness, each other's excited fear, and as the emotion that had been so forcefully quieted so long ago, found its voice again, the kiss deepened. Kim's arms found their way around Tommy's neck, pulling him to her, and Tommy wrapped his arms around her waist, and hung on for dear life. No, more than dear life. He held on for *her* life, for *their* life. He pulled her closer, tighter to him, as tight as her injuries would allow, and kissed her. He had missed her kisses like he would miss air underwater. Her touch sent shivers down his spine. Kim's spine felt exactly the same. She suddenly felt at home, felt safe. She knew Tommy would be there for her when she couldn't be there for herself, would help her when she felt helpless, would love her no matter what. A wave of release swept over her and she felt her whole body melt into him. Brad was still in there somewhere, but they would take care of it together. God, she loved him.  
  
The two finally felt the pull of their lungs, and separated, still hovering mere inches from each other's faces. Breath heavy, tears dry, feelings known, they smiled. Kim ran her fingers through his hair and he cupped the side of her face, as the two reunited lovers gazed into each other's eyes.  
  
"I love you Handsome." Kim murmured.  
  
Tommy grinned. "I knew it....I love you too Beautiful." He kissed her quickly on the lips again, planted another kiss on her forehead, and pulled back. "Now, get some sleep," he began, as Kim snuggled back under the covers. "I'll wake you in a few hours, and we'll try to get you walking again. Without falling." Kim smiled as he tucked her in, and sighed, letting her eyes close. "Goodnight Beautiful. I love you."  
  
"Love you too." Kim sighed. Tommy stayed until she drifted off to sleep before glancing at his watch and, with one more glance at his love, left the infirmary, meeting Kat outside the doors.  
  
"Kat, hey. How are you!" Tommy smiled.  
  
Kat, with the help of the two crutches which propped her up, stopped to talk with her ex-boyfriend. "I'm doing good. Walking, well hobbling actually, is getting steadily easier. How's Kim doing, I thought you'd be glued to her side until....actually forever." She laughed.  
  
Tommy blushed as he chuckled. "She's asleep."  
  
"Good, good. Hey, how did you sleep? My bed was a mess by the way." Kat smiled.  
  
Tommy frowned. "Sorry about that. I didn't actually sleep that great....I had a nightmare."  
  
Kat's smile faded into a look of concern. "What was it about?" she asked.  
  
"Well, I dreamt that I was the old me, the green ranger in Kim's quest......I.....I felt all the same anger, and.....I liked it. I was in the fight with her, the one in the quest, but *I* was winning....I just kept going, hitting her and hitting her, and she was getting so tired. I couldn't stop, I didn't want to stop.....and I killed her. And I was happy about it......That's when I woke up." Tommy explained, silently replaying the images of his dream in his head.  
  
"Tommy, listen to me." Kat said after a moment. "These dreams, they don't mean anything. That was the old you, under a spell by the way. Your conscience, no your imagination, is playing tricks on you, trying to make you think that that thing in the quest is still a part of you, which it is not. So, ignore it. You hear me? Ignore it, and concentrate on helping Kim get back to the way she was, the Kim we knew before that freak destroyed both of your lives. And along the way, you'll have good times. There won't be too many in the beginning, but there will be good times, and you enjoy them. You make up for the time that was ripped away from you by the heartless chunk of ice that I shot in order to get that happiness back. Understand? I SHOT him to get your happiness back. And even though I know that he was a horrible horrible person who is better off dead, I somehow still feel guilty that I took a human life. But if it means that we have back the happiness that we once had, then I can deal with it. I can deal with it as long as you love her. You take the life that has been returned to you and you spend every waking moment loving it. That's all I ask. A life for a life. I took his to give you back yours, so don't worry about me, I'll be fine. You just......be grateful." She said firmly. Tommy stared into her eyes as she spoke and saw the turmoil that lived there, saw the guilt for shooting Brad, the guilt for not being sorry about it, the guilt that she had taken the life of another. But he also saw the faith, the hope, that he would honor her sacrifice, and do as she asked. He sighed.  
  
"Thank you." He simply replied, then embraced her. "Thank you for everything."  
  
Kat pulled back and looked at him, softer now. "Any time.....You promise?"  
  
Tommy smiled and put his hands in the air in defeat. "I promise, I promise."  
  
"Good, cause I'm going to keep an eye on you." She smiled, poking him in the chest.  
  
"I wouldn't have it any other way. You're a great friend Kat."  
  
"I try." She smiled.  
  
***  
  
"Right in the heart? Wow, you never told me that part Tommy." Kim said as she swallowed the last bite of her dinner. Tommy had brought it to her when she woke up, and now the whole team sat around her bed, joining her in the meal.  
  
"Yeah, Kat where did you learn to shoot like that?" Cassie asked.  
  
Kat shrugged. "Lucky shot."  
  
"Bulls eye is not beginners luck." T.J. smiled, "come on, you can tell us."  
  
"You guys, lay off. Kat's been through a lot. It was self defense, lucky shot, leave it at that, alright?" Kim said sternly, as she put her tray aside. The rangers nodded and there was a moment of silence. "Kat, I just wanted to say thank you." Kim smiled.  
  
"For what?" Kat frowned.  
  
"For saving my life. If it wasn't for you...for both of you," she paused and squeezed Tommy's hand, "I'd be dead, and Brad would be free to do this again to someone else."  
  
"No thanks needed. I only did what I would naturally do for any of my friends." Kat smiled.  
  
"Always modest. I love that about you." Zhane grinned as he put his arm around her.  
  
"Awe jeez!" Cassie cried rolling her eyes. "Me, Teej, and Carlos are the only ones left! You guys are always making googily eyes at each other. Well, we may be out numbered, but we will stick together!" Everyone laughed at her mocking statement, and the three couples glanced at one another.  
  
"Love conquers all." Andros grinned, causing everyone to chuckle lightly again. Once the laughter died down, Ashley leaned forward.  
  
"Hey Kim? What are you going to do with Brad?" she asked cautiously.  
  
Kim sighed and pondered the thought a moment. "Well," she began, "he doesn't have any family left, no friends that I know of, so I thought we'd just bury him in an unmarked grave." She said solemnly.  
  
The rangers nodded in agreement. "We should also agree on a story, should anyone ask about him." Andros pointed out, causing another round of nodding.  
  
"You should be recovered enough to leave the ship in a day or so, did you want us to wait?" Cassie asked.  
  
"Um...I don't know." Kim hesitated.  
  
"Kim I'll stay if you don't want to go. It's completely up to you." Tommy said.  
  
"No, I'd better go. I won't believe I'm safe until I know that he's gone, and I won't know that until I see it." She said firmly.  
  
"Are you sure?" Carlos said.  
  
"Yeah, I need to know that it's finished. That he can't hurt anyone else." She said.  
  
"Alright, we'll go tomorrow." Andros announced as he rose.  
  
"Could we go today?" Kim interjected.  
  
"Kim, I don't recommend it. You're still weak." Cassie said.  
  
"I feel fine. Please?" she begged.  
  
After a moment, Andros sighed. "If you're sure."  
  
Kim smiled. "I'm sure. Could someone help me get dressed?" she asked, looking to the female rangers.  
  
"Of course. You guys go get ready and we'll help Kim, and meet you in the cargo bay. Can you get Brad's body there?" Cassie asked.  
  
"Not a problem. See you in a bit." Andros said as the guys filtered out of the room. Tommy kissed Kim quickly as he left, throwing a smile over his shoulder before he was gone.  
  
"Okay, let's get you ready. I want you in the wheelchair though. I am not risking anything, understand?" Cassie said firmly.  
  
Kim nodded as she pulled back the covers. "Got it. Let's finish this."  
  
Author's note: Well??????????? I hope I resolved most of the stuff that needed resolving up until this point. We're on section 'X' (of the phone book you dirty people). Kidding. Anyways, here's a teaser line. I'm really growing to like these things!  
  
"I forgive you."  
  
Not much of a tease, but hey, there are still surprises to come! 


	19. Let's Make a Date!

Disclaimer: hey-tay, ren't-ay, ine-may. Get it? They aren't mine, in pig Latin. Yeah..anyway!  
  
Author's note: Thank you everyone for the reviews. Teri, I can't wait to read more of your story, you're a great writer. Shaylei, thanks for pointing out the 'how did Brad know?' thing, because it totally slipped my mind. I just hope it sounded okay, what I wrote I mean. Anyways, the show must go on!  
  
"Should we say something?" Ashley asked as Zhane and Andros threw the last shovel of dirt on. They all stood around the shallow grave in the deep, unoccupied section of the Angel Grove woods. D.E.C.A. had picked the location for them because there wasn't much human activity in those parts of the woods. They were too far out for anyone to trek through. They looked around at one another, and then down at Kim. Keeping her eyes on the grave that held her past, Kim pushed herself out of the wheelchair. Tommy's arm was immediately around her waist, helping her walk forward, both for the safety of her stitches and cuts, and because he was worried she'd fall.  
  
"I'm okay. I can stand." She said looking up at him. After a moment, Tommy nodded and backed off, leaving her standing by the grave. She sighed and looked down at the pile of dirt before her. "I forgive you." She said. The others looked up at her, surprised by her words, wondering how she could forgive this monster for what he'd done. "I don't know if that means anything where you are," she continued, "but just know that even though you did what you did to me, I forgive you. I won't ever forget the bad, and it was mostly bad, but...there were some good times. So whenever I think of you, I'll try to think of that tiny window of good that we shared. I hate you for what that good led to, and it's going to take me a while, if ever, to see past that hate. But someday, I hope I can. Because you have stolen enough of my thoughts, enough of me, that I need you out of my life, and my mind.......Rest in regret." She finished, staggering slightly as she tried to turn and walk away. Tommy caught her and helped her back into the wheelchair.  
  
"Should we mark it with something?" Carlos asked.  
  
"Too risky." T.J. said.  
  
"I agree. Besides, I will never forget where he is." Kim added. They nodded and turned from the grave.  
  
Days past on the ship, and Kim continually pushed herself to walk. The others tried to get her to slow down, but she ignored them and practiced when they weren't looking. She was soon walking under her own power. Her injuries had almost completely healed, thanks to her increased regeneration abilities from her ranger days, save a few stubborn wounds that refused to get better so fast. She was walking down the hall one day, to meet Andros in the infirmary for a check-up. She had almost considered canceling it, she felt fine. She sighed, a skip in her step due to the increasingly good mood she was in, when a wave of dizziness hit. She stumbled, and veered into the wall. Her breathing increased and she could feel her heart beating faster and faster, thumping against her chest.  
  
"D.E.C.A...." she breathed, "get....help." she gasped before passing out.  
  
***  
  
"Tommy, Andros." D.E.C.A. said. The two were in the infirmary waiting for Kimberly's arrival.  
  
"What is it D.E.C.A.?" Tommy asked.  
  
"Kimberly has had a relapse. She is unconscious down the hallway." D.E.C.A. said calmly. Both Tommy and Andros bolted out the door and rushed down the hall, encountering the unconscious Kimberly not too far away. Tommy dropped to the floor beside her, cupping her face in his hands.  
  
"Kim! Kim, come on, don't do this!" he cried. "Say something......come back to me!"  
  
"Tommy, we have to get her to the infirmary!" Andros cried.  
  
Tommy looked at him blankly for a moment, and then gathered Kim up in his arms and they ran back towards the infirmary. Tommy set her down on one of the exam tables and took her hands.  
  
"D.E.C.A., get the others!" Andros commanded as he began the initial scans.  
  
"What happened! Is she going to be okay?!" Tommy said worriedly.  
  
"I can't tell just yet, but please, you have to wait outside." Andros said, not looking up as he worked on more scans.  
  
The other rangers rushed in, with Kat bringing up the rear, limping slightly. She moved over to Tommy and tugged at his shirt. "Tommy, come on let's go outside, let them work." He didn't move. "Tommy! They'll tell us when they know something!" Kat cried, pulling him harder. He hesitantly followed her out, never taking his eyes off the unconscious Kimberly.  
  
***  
  
Tommy paced outside the infirmary doors, anxiously awaiting news. Kat, who had made herself comfortable on the floor, sighed irritably.  
  
"Tommy, I know that you're worried, but you are making me nauseous with your pacing!" She said calmly. Tommy continued to pace, seeming not to have heard her. Kat sighed again, louder this time, and stood up with some difficulty. She stepped in front of him when he turned towards her. "Tommy!" she cried. He jerked slightly, startled to find her before him.  
  
"Yeah?" he said.  
  
"Relax!....They saved her once, they'll do it again." She said softly as she patted his arm.  
  
"I know......but, why did she have a relapse in the first place?" he questioned.  
  
Kat looked at him sadly. "I'm not the person to ask." As if on cue, the infirmary doors opened and Zhane walked out. Tommy whirled around to face him, and opened his mouth to ask his million questions.  
  
"Whoa!" Zhane said, putting his hands up in surrender. "She'll be fine." He said quickly, bringing a sigh of relief from the two.  
  
"Why did that happen?" Tommy asked calmly.  
  
"Well, she had a relapse because she used too much energy too fast. Some of her remaining wounds were in danger of opening up again. Because they weren't fully healed, when she over exerted herself, the wounds caused some mild internal bleeding. We've stopped that......She was too weak to do so much, so her muscles reacted on instinct, which was to shut down. That's why she fainted, that and extreme exhaustion. It was as if her body suddenly said, 'that's it, I've had enough.' She needs to be re-hydrated so we've attached a standard earth IV to her for the night. She needs to stay in bed all, and I mean *all* of tomorrow, so that she can begin recouping again slowly." He paused and sighed. "She's very stubborn. She kept insisting that she was all right, that she could walk back to her room. I hate to say it, but she caused that relapse all by herself." He finished.  
  
Tommy smiled slightly. "She's always been a fighter. A stubborn one who won't stay down when she's injured."  
  
"Speaking of which, she needs to be monitored very closely to make sure she doesn't try this again." Zhane said as Kat moved to his side.  
  
"I'll do it, Tommy's too easy on her. He doesn't want to risk the wrath of Kim cause he loves her." Kat said raising a mischievous eyebrow at her ex.  
  
"What can I say?" Tommy shrugged. "She's my world. I don't know what I'd do if I lost her." He thought for a moment about what he'd just said. "I think I'm gonna do something for her. When will she be awake?" he asked looking at Zhane.  
  
"She was kinda delirious when we got there so I'd say about a half hour. We didn't have to give her a large sedative because it wasn't too bad, so..yeah, a half hour I'd say." Zhane answered.  
  
"Great, I'll be back in a bit." Tommy said turning to go. Once he was gone, Kat's smile faded and she turned to Zhane.  
  
"What didn't you tell him?" she sighed.  
  
"You know me too well." Zhane smiled half-heartedly. "She.....may have slight amnesia."  
  
"Then Tommy would go on the quest for her stone." Kat pointed out.  
  
"No, she'd have to have full amnesia for that. I don't think it's serious though. She seemed to remember all of us, and you and Tommy. She could forget part of her childhood, or even worse...she could forget Brad." Zhane said.  
  
"But that would be a good thing, wouldn't it?" Kat frowned.  
  
"Not necessarily. Eventually, it would all come flooding back, and that would mean that she runs the risk of an emotional breakdown. I mean, imagine just suddenly remembering one day that you'd been horribly abused, and almost killed by some guy you'd forgot you knew. But it may be only a small part of her memory, which has nothing to with Brad, so she'd be fine once it all came back. But, it could be nothing at all, she could be fine." Zhane explained. "But until it all came back, she'd probably be extremely frustrated and edgey."  
  
"But she'd still be Kim?" Kat asked hopefully.  
  
"Of course. But I didn't tell Tommy because she may have no memory loss whatsoever."  
  
"But if she does, he might be very angry at not getting a heads up about the situation." Kat said.  
  
"You can tell him if you want to, but I don't think it's necessary. The chances of amnesia are very small."  
  
"Guys, you comin' in?" T.J. asked from behind them. The infirmary doors had opened a moment before, without them noticing.  
  
"Yeah." Zhane answered, grabbing Kat's hand.  
  
Kat looked over at Kim as she entered. The young brunette was pale, and unconscious with the oxygen tube re-attached o her nose. Kat looked over at Zhane. "Why is that there, I thought you said she'd be fine." She hissed.  
  
"She will, it's only a precaution." He said gently. Kat sighed and released Zhane's hand as she moved to sit with Kim. She touched her friends' hand, and Kim opened her eyes groggily.  
  
"Hey Kat." He said weakly.  
  
"Hey," Kat smiled. "Are you okay?"  
  
Kim nodded. "I'll be fine. Where's Tommy?" she asked.  
  
"He's just taking care of something. He'll be back soon." Kat smiled gently.  
  
"Zhane, could I talk to you for a moment?" Cassie said, tapping her teammate on the shoulder. Zhane, who'd been staring at his girlfriend, nodded and hesitantly moved away from his vantage point of her.  
  
"What's up?" he whispered.  
  
"That thing you went to take care of earlier. What is it!? I'm dying to know!" she said. Zhane glanced over at Kat, who was still talking to Kimberly, and then led Cassie out into the hallway.  
  
"I'm taking Kat to this gazebo by the ocean, for a private dinner, with violinists, and dancing. Then maybe a walk on the beach." He whispered.  
  
"That is sssooooooo sweet!" Cassie cooed quietly. "She is going to absolutely love it!"  
  
"Love what?" Tommy asked as he approached.  
  
"A surprise for Kat. Our Zhane's quite the romantic." Cassie grinned.  
  
"I've got a little something planned for Kim too." Tommy smiled.  
  
"What's this about a surprise?" T.J. asked as he and Carlos joined them in the hall.  
  
"Surprise, for who?" Andros smiled, approaching from down the hall.  
  
The infirmary doors closed on a busily working Ashley, and Kat and Kim talking quietly. "For Kim," Tommy said. "I'm gonna take her to the Surf Spot Friday after hours, have a little candlelit dinner, and then-'' he paused, removing a small box from his pocket, and opened it revealing a diamond ring. The rangers gasped and then burst into hushed congratulations.  
  
"That's great man, congrats!" Carlos smiled.  
  
"Well, she's gotta say yes first." Tommy smiled.  
  
"And she so will!" Cassie cried.  
  
"Thanks. Then on Saturday, I've got Zack, Trini, Billy, and Jason coming in. They're the original team of rangers." He verified.  
  
"I've got a surprise for Ashley too." Andros said after a moment.  
  
"Spill it!" said T.J.  
  
"I'm taking her to KO-35 to show her around, then I'm going to give her this." He said, pulling a ring from his jacket pocket. "It's a promise ring." He smiled.  
  
Cassie sighed. "Wow guys, I'm impressed. I didn't know you were this serious, with the exception of Tommy of course. But you've proved me wrong. Congrats." She said.  
  
"I didn't know we were being judged." Laughed Andros.  
  
"What can I say?" Cassie shrugged. "I look out for you guys."  
  
"Hey," Kat frowned as the infirmary doors opened. "What are you all doing out here?"  
  
"Uh....nothing. Just...... Comparing ranger stories." Andros fumbled. The others nodded. They all exchanged knowing glances and moved into the infirmary.  
  
Author's note: We're almost there!!!!!! Leap of Fate, when you said this story should go on forever.....well.....it kinda does. This story is part one in the trilogy. At the end of this story I'll give you guys a plot summary from the next chapter. Okay? Okay. Until next time! Hope you like it!!! 


	20. Love Me Tender

Disclaimer: Alright! Alright! I give up, they're not mine!  
  
Author's note: Shaylei, don't make me hit you! Your fics do NOT suck, okay??? Okay. And thank you for the compliment, but please don't sell yourself short. You are creative! I absolutely LOVE your stories! Well, you just read on cause there's a little somethin' in here for you, okay? Now, back to action!  
  
Tommy waited until the others had gone inside, taking a breath before entering. He looked over at Kim, who was smiling at something Kat had said. He saw how tired she looked, and he hated seeing her on oxygen. He put on a brave smile and moved to the side of her bed as Kat and the others moved back.  
  
"How are you feeling?" he asked as he took her hand.  
  
"Weak, tired....but better." Kim smiled gently.  
  
"When you feel stronger I have a surprise for you." He smiled as he stroked her hair.  
  
"I'm excited already." She said quietly.  
  
Tommy smiled. "Go to sleep, you need the rest. I'll be here when you wake up." He said.  
  
Kim nodded as she let her eyes close. "I love you." She whispered.  
  
"I love you too." Tommy said, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead.  
  
"Awwwwwweeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!" the others cooed quietly.  
  
Tommy chuckled and turned to them. "You guys are too much!" he joked. The others smiled and began to exit the room.  
  
"Hey Kat, we gotta get going." Zhane smiled, looking at the imaginary watch on his wrist.  
  
"We do?" Kat frowned.  
  
"Yeah, it's a surprise. Trust me. Come on." He smiled, kissing her quickly.  
  
"Okay!" Kat said curiously. "Bye!" she called as they went out of sight.  
  
"Yeah Ash, we gotta get going too." Andros smiled, casually slipping his arm around her waist.  
  
"Lemme guess, it's a surprise?" Ashley grinned. Andros nodded and the two waved to the others and made their way down the hall.  
  
"You know, I for one think it's really weird that all three of you came up with a surprise for them." Carlos sighed as he watched the couples go.  
  
"Well," Tommy shrugged. "It's been a rough few days. I guess we all just figured that we need some joy back in our lives after what we've been through. 'Sides, as the saying goes: 'great minds think alike!'" he smiled.  
  
"Sure....whatever you say Tommy....Uh, hey Teej, Carlos, you guys wanna go play soccer on the simudeck?" Cassie smiled.  
  
"Yeah, sure. Let's go." T.J. shrugged.  
  
"Why not. We'll leave the two love birds here for some alone time." Carlos smiled, tossing a glance at Tommy.  
  
"Some alone time, she's asleep." Tommy fumed.  
  
"Yeah, but I bet you love to watch her sleep." T.J. said rolling his eyes.  
  
***  
  
"Come on, keep 'em closed." Tommy smiled, leading a blind Kimberly into the Surf Spot. Kimberly, who had her eyes squeezed shut, clung to his shirt to keep from falling or hitting something, with Tommy's arm around her.  
  
"What in the world is going on Thomas Oliver? I've been stuck in bed for two days, with no sign of you might I add. I bet this is a 'forgive me' surprise." Kim joked.  
  
"You'll see. And just for the record, Kat would not let me in to see you in case I gave you special treatment. Besides that, I wanted you to be able to walk into the surprise." He said, hugging her tighter. "Okay," he said stopping, "open 'em."  
  
Kim threw her eyes open and looked around, her gaze settled on the candlelit dinner that lay right where the rangers' old table was. Only now it had a lilac tablecloth covering it, as well as two plates and crystal wine glasses, the necessary cutlery and a bouquet of fresh roses in between two tall white candles.  
  
"Oh my gosh! Tommy, this is beautiful!" she gushed and she moved closer to the table for two. She whirled on him with her hands on her hips and a smile on her face. "Thomas Oliver, when in the world did you become such a romantic, and how did I get so lucky as to be the woman you fell for." She grinned.  
  
Tommy smiled sheepishly and moved to her, slipping his arms around her waist. "Because you're beautiful, and graceful, and kind, and- should I stop?" he said raising an eyebrow.  
  
"No no, please keep going." Kim smiled, thoroughly enjoying the compliments. He smiled down at her, and was about to go on, when her lips upon his stopped him. He had no objections, and devoted all his attention to the kiss.  
  
***  
  
"I still can't believe that you did all this. Thank you so much." Kim sighed as she reached over, covering Tommy's hand with her own.  
  
"Anything for you." Tommy smiled, moving his hand to hold hers. "Hey there's actually something I wanted to ask you."  
  
Kim frowned. "What's the matter?"  
  
"Nothing. Everything's perfect....You know that I love you right? I have from the first moment I saw you-'' Tommy began.  
  
"You're scaring me. Are you sick or something, what's wrong?" Kim said worriedly.  
  
"No, no Kim, just listen." He sighed. Kim nodded mutely and listened, the concerned look on her face not going away. Before Tommy had a chance to continue, Kim jumped in again.  
  
"Are...are you breaking up with me?" she asked, tears forming in her eyes.  
  
"What! God no Beautiful!" Tommy cried, rushing to her side and embracing her. He knelt on the floor beside her and she lay her head on his shoulder. "I...I'm trying to ask you to marry me." He said quietly. Kim froze in his arms. "Kim?" he frowned, pulling her back to see what was wrong. He looked at her, expecting to find something wrong, but she was smiling.  
  
"What did you just say?" she breathed.  
  
"I said.....will you marry me?" he sighed, pulling the ring from his pocket. Kim gasped when she saw it and looked up at him.  
  
"Oh Tommy..." she said, tears of joy now springing from her eyes. Tommy smiled gently and waited. Kim took the ring and stared at it. "Well?" Tommy said anxiously.  
  
Kim looked at him and smiled. "Of course I'll marry you Handsome." Tommy laughed out loud and kissed her happily. She hugged her fiancé, and then handed him the ring after a moment.  
  
"What?" Tommy said confused.  
  
"I'm not puttin' in on, that's your job!" Kim said. Tommy smiled and took the ring, slipping it onto her left hand. She admired the ring for a moment before looking at Tommy again. "Perfect." She smiled. They kissed again. "I love you Handsome." She sighed.  
  
"I love you too Beautiful. And I always will, till death and beyond."  
  
***  
  
"So, how was your date a couple of nights ago?" Cassie grinned as Ashley sat down at the mess hall table for breakfast. The rangers had been so busy the past few days doing repairs on the ship that they hardly saw each other. This was the first time in those days that the two had said more than two words to each other.  
  
"It was absolutely magical!" Ashley gushed. "Andros took me to KO-35 and showed me all the places he grew up, then we went to this hill that overlooked the entire city, and he gave me this promise ring." She paused and showed it to Cassie, who smiled in approval. "He said that one day, he'd replace it with an engagement ring and properly ask me to marry him when we're older and retired from the ranger business." She sighed dreamily and silently remembered the rest of the evening.  
  
"That's great Ash. I'm gonna be your maid of honor right?" she frowned when she got no answer and looked up from her food. "Ash!" she called to her daydreaming friend. "ASH!"  
  
Ashley jumped slightly, and then smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, what did you say?"  
  
"I said, of course I'm gonna be your maid of honor, right?"  
  
"Oh come on Cass, you don't even have to ask. That is a total yes!" Ashley grinned. Just then, Kat and Zhane walked in, hand in hand, laughing quietly.  
  
"And how was your date?" Cassie smiled.  
  
"Amazing. He's so romantic!" Kat praised.  
  
"Just a small token of my love." Zhane smiled looking at her.  
  
"Awe! You're so sweet, I just love you." Kat gushed before kissing him.  
  
Ashley and Cassie rolled their eyes and turned back to one another. "So where are Kim and Tommy?" Ashley asked, taking a bite of her food.  
  
"They went to meet the rest of the former rangers, but they shouldn't be too long. I still can't believe that Kim said yes." Cassie grinned. Ashley practically choked on her food after Cassie finished.  
  
"He proposed?! How come I didn't know this!" she cried.  
  
"Because you were out with your man, getting a proposal of your own." Cassie laughed.  
  
"Oh that is so great! I'm so happy for them!" she gushed. Kat came out of her zone and tuned in on their conversation, taking a seat at the table.  
  
"He proposed! She said yes!?" she said happily. Zhane smiled and sat down next to her as Andros, T.J. and Carlos came in.  
  
"Morning ladies, lovebirds." Said Carlos nodding to them.  
  
Andros smiled and moved to Ashley, ignoring Carlos's comment. "How did you sleep?" he asked, kissing her head.  
  
"Alright. How about you?" she smiled turning to him.  
  
"Same. Hey, you wanna go for a walk in the park or something?" he asked.  
  
"Absolutely. Cass, call me if you need help with those repairs in the engine room okay?" Ashley smiled.  
  
"Sure sure, go have fun." Cassie sighed as the couple exited the mess hall.  
  
"We're gonna head out to." Zhane began as he rose from his seat. "What do you say to a game of pool and a smoothie at the Surf Spot Ms. Hillard?" he grinned.  
  
"I say you're on." Kat smiled as she too rose from her seat. T.J. shook his head as they left.  
  
"Man, we're always getting abandoned." He said. "But, it is good to see everyone so happy." He added.  
  
***  
  
"That was so much fun!!!!!! Did you see their faces when I showed them the ring!" Kim laughed excitedly. She and Tommy had just walked out of The Blast, one of the most popular new restaurants in Angel Grove, leaving behind their former teammates. Kim hooked Tommy's arm as they walked, snaking her hand down to grab his.  
  
"Yeah, but did you see your face, when you saw them." Tommy smiled.  
  
Kim pulled Tommy to a stop and kissed him. "Thank you again. I can't believe that you did that." She said. Tommy smiled down at her.  
  
"It was good to see everyone again." He said.  
  
"Totally. Trini is going to be my maid of honor, and the girls are all going to be my bridesmaids. Who's your best man? Is it Jase?" she smiled.  
  
"He said yes, so I guess he is. And the guys are gonna be the..." Tommy trailed off.  
  
"Groomsmen." Kim finished.  
  
"Yeah. We'd better get back, the others will be wondering where we are." Tommy sighed.  
  
"Hey Tommy?" Kim said.  
  
"Yeah Beautiful."  
  
" Did I ever say thank you?"  
  
"For what?" Tommy frowned.  
  
"For never leaving me. I never thanked you for sticking by me through the whole post Brad thing.....I love you so much for that Handsome." She said gently.  
  
Tommy exhaled and hugged her. "I will never leave you." He said and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Come on." She smiled and took his hand as they headed for their teleportation spot.  
  
***  
  
After four months of planning, the big day had finally arrived. Kim stood in the bridal room of the church straightening her dress with her hands. The long white gown flowed to the ground in a wave of silk, with a slight old-fashioned bustle on the back. The elegant train, attached at the mini bustle, covered the ground five feet behind her. Her hair cascaded around her shoulders in a pile of curls with a delicate lily-white clip atop her head to keep her veil attached. The modern day veil, fell gently down the open back of her crisscrossed spaghetti strap dress. She placed her hands on her dress fitted hips and took one last look at her reflection and smiled, fleshing out her veil across her shoulders.  
  
*This is it..* She thought as she gazed at her reflection. *I'm getting married!!!* A smile spread across her lips, and she felt a bubble of happiness rising to the surface. She felt as if she could jump up and down all day because she was so happy. But that wouldn't get her married. The door of the bride's room cracked open and she watched the mirror to see who it was.  
  
"Is our little Kimmie ready to get married?" a familiar voice said from behind the oak panel. Jason peeked his grinning face around the door and Kim returned the smile, still watching him from the mirror.  
  
"Not so little anymore Jase." She said quietly. Her self-proclaimed brother sighed and stepped in the door, closing it behind him. He walked over to her as she turned around, and took her hands.  
  
"Little by my standards munchkin." He smiled. Kim exhaled and punched him lightly on the arm.  
  
"Dork." She grinned.  
  
"Twerp." He retaliated.  
  
There was a moment of nostalgic silence between the two, before Jason embraced her. "Congrats." He smiled.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"I just wanted to come by and give you some final words of wisdom before you walked down the aisle." He said pulling back.  
  
"Oo," Kim smiled. "Words of wisdom from my former leader. Do tell."  
  
"First of all, I know, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that you two will be one of the happiest couples ever. That much I am jealous of. But that's not why I'm here. I'm here to tell you, that you are one of the strongest people I know. You have been through so much but you stay you, and that is....so hard for a lot of people, but you. You've always been everyone's light. I mean look at Tommy, when he joined the team he was constantly depressed over Rita's spell, and didn't talk much. Then you came along and made him the happiest man in Angel Grove High. I couldn't even begin to imagine what the rangers would have been like without you. You're one of a kind Kim. Strong beautiful, smart, confident, and one of the nicest people in the world." He paused and smiled as a stray tear rolled down Kim's smiling face. "I just thought I'd tell you that in case you hadn't heard it in a while. And the advice? Be happy, never go to bed angry, if you should happen to fight, listen to each other, and have lots and lots of kids, cause I want to be Uncle Jason and spoil 'em rotten. Got it?" he half smiled and Kim laughed briefly before hugging him again. She pulled back and punched him in the arm again.  
  
"Doofis, you made me cry! Now my make-up is probably all messed up!" she said, dabbing her face gently with her manicured fingers. She sighed and dropped her hands and looked at her friend. "Thank you for that. I...needed to hear that first part, and as for the second part.....well, I'll have to talk to Tommy about the kids part, but I will take the rest of it!"  
  
"Good. And anytime you need to hear it, the first part I mean, you just gimmie a call. Okay?" Kim nodded in response. "Good, now let's get you to the altar missy!"  
  
***  
  
Behind the giant wooden doors Kim heard the organist begin to play, and the butterfly's swarming in her stomach whipped into a frenzy at the sound. She looked to her right and saw Trini giving her a thumbs up before entering through the side door to make her way down the aisle. The coordinator had planned it so that the bridesmaids enter from either side of the church, leaving the center doors at the back closed until Kim made her dramatic entrance through them. She looked down at her bouquet for a final flower check and took a deep breath.  
  
"How's my girl?" a voice said as two hands fell upon her shoulder's from behind. Kim smiled and turned to face her father as he moved around beside her.  
  
"Hi Daddy." She beamed as he hooked her arm through his.  
  
"I still can't believe that you're getting married." She sighed shaking his head. "My little girl is all grown up."  
  
"Dad don't start please, you're gonna make me cry again!" she breathed.  
  
Mr. Hart smiled at her and exhaled as he patted her hand. "Sorry sweetie...I love you Kim."  
  
"I love you too Daddy."  
  
Just then the church doors swung open, revealing the standing crowd. They gasped at the sight of the blushing bride who stood there waiting to be lead down the aisle by her father. But Kim never even saw them. They were gone because all she saw was Tommy, standing at the altar, staring at her.  
  
***  
  
He was speechless, both physically and mentally speechless. When those doors opened and he saw her there, the world around him disappeared. His Beautiful, his Kim stood there smiling at him. He couldn't believe how beautiful she looked, or how lucky he was that she was standing there. Then she began to move forward with the prompting of her father, and she just got more beautiful with each step she took. He sighed, all the nerves that he had felt were gone, and there was only her.  
  
***  
  
"The bride and groom have written their own vows." The priest announced to the audience before him. "When you're ready." He said quietly to Tommy before he moved back with a smile.  
  
Tommy sighed and turned to Kimberly, taking the ring from the priest and held it hovering before her finger. "Kim," he began, "from the first moment I laid eyes on you, you've had my heart. And as I had the privilege of being part of your life, you became my universe. You are the sun that wakes me in the morning, the moon that shines in the evening sky, and the stars that sing me to sleep. I will not only love you for the rest of your life, but for the rest of mine and beyond. The hands of friendship brought us together, the crown of loyalty strengthened that bond, and the heart of love made us one. With this ring, I present you with my heart, my soul, my body, and my life. All of which are your forever along with my undying love." He smiled and slipped the diamond studded Irish Claddah wedding ring on her finger. The heart facing away from him, signifying that Kim's heart was taken. Sniffles echoed the church along with Kim's own as she reached for Tommy's simple gold band. His had a Claddah symbol pressed into it and she held the heart to face him, telling all who saw it on his finger that his heart was taken.  
  
"Tommy," she began shakily, "You entered my world...and made it complete. You held my hand through all the tears, and brought out the best in me. If I ever lost you, my world would not only crumble, it would cease to exist. I never knew how empty I was until you came and filled the space in my heart. Being separated from you for so long made me feel as if a piece of my soul was missing. And now that I have you back, I feel whole again. You are my soul mate, my knight in shining armor, and now, my husband. I love you more than life itself. The hands of friendship brought us together, the crown of loyalty strengthened that bond, and the heart of love made us one. With this ring I present to you my heart, my soul, my body, and my life. Just as you have never left me, so I will never leave you, and so I will love you forever." She slipped the elegant band on her beloved's finger and he took her hand. They smiled at each other as the priest returned to his place behind them.  
  
"By the power vested in me, I take great pleasure in pronouncing you, before your friends and family, husband and wife. You may kiss your bride Thomas." He smiled. Tommy glanced briefly at the priest before leaning in and kissing his wife gently on the lips. The congregation erupted into applause, none of which either heard for a few moments.  
  
She placed her hands on his face and whispered, "I love you" against his lips. He pulled back and pressed his forehead to hers. "I love you too." He breathed. They smiled at each other again and turned to the still applauding crowd. The organist began to play again as Kim took her bouquet from Trini and proceeded back down the aisle with her new husband, followed by the bridesmaids and groomsmen.  
  
***  
  
"And now I present to all of you, for the first time outside the church walls....Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Oliver!!!!!!!!" the DJ announced happily. The guests burst into a thunderous applause as Kimberly and Tommy entered through the hall doors hand in hand. "Okay folks, let's get right on to the first dance, which belongs to the newly weds!" Kim and Tommy moved to the dance floor as "I'll Always Be There" by Roch Voisine began to play.  
  
You and I Have followed the trace laid by, People of faith and pride with hungry eyes. You and I Could conquer the stars if we tried Or simply live by simpler vows And let the storm go by  
  
You and I Have written the book line by line And the few things it took to survive Was your loving heart and mine Should you go, remember these words as they show Just how much I care don't you know I'll always be there  
  
I'll always be there There when the world and it's promise is failing I'll always be there There when the frost of its winter is cursing I'll always be there There when the tears in your eyes keep on asking  
  
I'll always be there I'll always be there  
  
You and I Will follow the trace laid by People of faith and pride With angry eyes gone blind You and I Will show them the light we live by So never again will they try To keep us apart  
  
I'll always be there There when the world and it's promise is failing I'll always be there There when the frost of its winter is cursing I'll always be there There when the tears in your eyes keep on asking me why Asking me why  
  
I'll always be there There when the world and its promise is failing I'll always be there I'll always be there There when the tears in your eyes keep on asking me why Asking me why  
  
I'll always be there There when the frost of its winter is cursing I'll always be there I'll always be there There when your loving is such you keep burning alive I'll always be there  
  
I'll always be there I'll always be there I'll always be there I'll always be there  
  
The speeches preceded the dance as dinner was served, and after desert Tommy and Kim mingled with people as the dancing began. The videographer moved through the crowd gathering well wishes and congratulations from the guests. When the night was over, the bride and groom bid their guests farewell and left to catch their flight to Ireland for their honeymoon.  
  
***  
  
Tommy set Kim down once they had crossed the threshold of the cozy little cabin bedroom they had rented. They had chosen a small bed and breakfast that operated not as a house, but a set of five houses, each for individual rent around the main house where breakfast was served every morning at nine. Kim slipped her shoes off and looked over at the roaring fire in the fireplace. She smiled and looked at the room, turning back to her husband as he shut the door. She moved into his embrace and kissed him.  
  
"This is amazing." She murmured. Tommy smiled and kissed her again. "I love you Mr. Oliver." She grinned.  
  
He grinned back and scooped her up in his arms. "I love you too Mrs. Oliver."  
  
And with that, they began their honeymoon and their new life, together.  
  
The End!!!!!!!!!!!! For now anyway! I have part two coming up! Oh, before I give you the spoiler for it, those lyrics were used without permission, and belong to Roch Voisine (long song, eh?) from the album "I'll Always Be There." Now for the spoiler!!!!!! Well, not really, I guess it's more of a teaser. I am SSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOO sorry that this took so long to update. We had visitors and then there was university stuff and work and blah blah blah. Life happened, what can I do? Anyway! Oh, and I plan to put out a story that has the four months of planning the wedding that I skipped, would ya like that??? It'll be called "The Lost Months." Or something like that. On to the teaser!!! "Dreamscape" COMING SOON By Michelle Ferguson Now that Kimberly and Tommy are married, Kim can get on with her new life right? Wrong. Nightmares haunt her dreams of a past she thought she'd left behind. Can Kim fight the ghost within without Tommy? Only she can defeat her past on the dreamscape. Tommy can only watch her struggle from the outside, giving her all the encouragement he can. An almost lethal dose of sleeping pills keep her asleep during the nightmare battle.....but will she wake up? Are you excited??? I'm gonna try and get this updated as often as I can what with university and it being my first year and all, but I'm gonna try.  
  
Fall 2002, part two in a series of three. "Dreamscape." Is it only a dream????? 


End file.
